Two Vietnamese drown while trying to enter Taiwan illegally
Group of five were in a dinghy about 20 metres from shore when it capsized, throwing them into the sea, coastguard says
Two Vietnamese drowned while attempting to enter Taiwan illegally along with three others, the island’s coastguard said on Monday.
The Coast Guard Administration said its radar system picked up a small object moving quickly off the coast of Taitung County, eastern Taiwan, at 2.17am and dispatched a patrol team to investigate.
The object turned out to be a speedboat that transported the five Vietnamese – three women and two men – close to the coast and then transferred them to a rubber dinghy, according to local media.
The dinghy reportedly capsized about 20 metres from shore, throwing all its occupants into the sea.
Two of the Vietnamese drowned, while the three others were arrested on land, along with two Taiwanese men, according to the coastguard.
Li Chih-hao, a coastguard officer, said the two Vietnamese – one man and one woman – died, despite being pulled from the water by a patrol boat and rushed to hospital.