Ships are docked near a Taiwanese fishing village (Illustration photo: AFP) The location of three Vietnamese sailors who went missing from a Taiwanese fishing vessel off the coast of the northern Japanese prefecture of Hokkaido is still unknown, despite active search efforts by all parties.
Taiwan’s ship Hsiang Fur Far reported that on the night of October 8, three Vietnamese crew members – Le Van Thuc, Thieu Dinh Thuong, and Nguyen Dinh Nga – jumped into the sea, about 12km out from Hokkaido’s Shiraoi Port.
The Japan Coast Guard deployed five ships and two planes to search for the sailors soon after being informed about the case.
Vietnam’s embassy in Japan has been working closely with relevant Japanese agencies to keep track of the situation.
Meanwhile, the Vietnam economics-culture office in Taipei was contacting the ship owner, who is now in Taiwan’s Kaohsiung, to collect additional information.
The Foreign Ministry’s Consular Department is working to verify the identities of the missing men.
The Taiwanese ship carried a total of 61 crew members: 21 Vietnamese, 23 Filipinos and 14 Indonesians.-VNA
