iayu islet northeast of Taiwan early yesterday, but all 11 crew members have been rescued. Coast Guard Administration officials said they received a distress signal relayed by a radio station at 3:30 a.m. and immediately dispatched a patrol vessel to the scene. At the same time they asked personnel at a security station on the islet to join the rescue.
The skipper of the "Taiyiyu No. 1" and his 10 crew members, comprised of seven Chinese and three Indonesian sailors, were rescued and temporarily quartered in a temple on the islet.
The Suao harbor-based fishing boat left port at 10 p.m. Saturday, but ran aground hours later southwest of Pengchiayu islet.
According to boat skipper Wang Wen-tsung, he was sleeping when the boat struck something with a bang, causing him to fall off his bunk. He rushed to the steering room and found that the boat's propeller was stuck between rocks.
Wang said that a Chinese crew member on duty apparently fell asleep when the accident occurred.
"Tsaiyiyu No. 1" was also in the news in May 2005 after drifting into waters claimed by Japan as a part of its economic zone following engine failure. Wang and his then eight-member crew were detained in Japan for 27 days before being fined 2 million yen (US$17,335) and released.
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