The men, the captain and two Chinese crew members, had jumped into the water on Sunday when a raging fire was found aboard their ship, said a United Evening News report.

They were found wearing life jackets and clinging onto wreckage and to each other in the coastal waters 17 kilometers off the shore located between Hualien County and Yilan County, wrote the paper.

The men also suffered from hypothermia due to the long period they were submerged in cold temperatures, the report said.

According to officers, rough seas and gusty winds that were likely brought upon by peripheral impacts of the neighboring typhoon hampered the search efforts.

The rescue operation involved aerial and water surveillance teams as well as six fishing vessels, the report added.