One Filipino worker killed after knife fight breaks out on board Taiwan fishing vessel

The violent brawl began early on Wednesday on board the Wen Peng, a vessel staffed with 21 Filipino and Indonesian workers

Rescuers from a nearby ship that responded to the distress call were prevented from boarding the Wen Peng by a worker wielding a metal bar as a weapon

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A Taiwan Coast Guard vessel. File photo: Reuters

Published: 9:21pm, 20 Feb 2019Updated: 10:33pm, 20 Feb 2019

A violent knife fight that broke out aboard a Taiwanese fishing vessel in the Indian Ocean has left one worker dead and one critically injured, Taiwan’s coastguard said on Wednesday.

A rescue operation was under way to search for people on board the Wen Peng, a vessel staffed with 21 Filipino and Indonesian workers, who were thrown overboard during the brawl.

“Many of the crew members were forced off the ship, but we don’t know how many are in the waters,” said the coastguard in a statement.

The fight broke out in the early hours of Wednesday. One Filipino was killed and another critically wounded in the brawl.

An estimated 160,000 migrant workers, mostly from Southeast Asian countries of Philippines and Indonesia, work on board Taiwanese fishing vessels. Photo: AFP

The coastguard said a rescue ship would be dispatched but warned it would take 13 days to arrive.

A nearby Taiwanese boat responded to the Wen Peng’s distress call and rescued four seamen from the waters 1,500 nautical miles northeast of Mauritius.