Two Filipinos were killed in a fight among Filipino and Vietnamese fishermen onboard a Kaoshiung-registered fishing vessel late last month, Taiwan coast guard officials said yesterday.
In a report by Taipei Times, the 747-ton deep-sea tuna vessel embarked on a journey in May with 52 crew members including three Taiwanese nationals, 15 Indonesians, 15 Vietnamese and 19 Filipinos.
On Wednesday last week, as the ship was in the northern Pacific, 296 nautical miles from Yilan County’s Nanfangao port, a fight between Filipino and Vietnamese crew members broke out.
Six people were reportedly scalded by hot water and arsenic acid during the fight, resulting in the death of the two Filipinos. The captain separated the fighting men, reported the incident to authorities and the ship returned to Kaoshiung on Wednesday. Taiwanese coast guard dispatched two ships to meet the fishing vessel 3 nautical miles offshore where officials boarded and inspected the vessel.
Officials said the bodies of the two men are to undergo an autopsy on Monday as two injured fishermen remain in hospital; others involved in the brawl have been discharged.
Without gas guns onboard, the captain was unable to put the ship in order and could only ask the men to stop fighting.