Coast Guard Catches Stowaways in Southern Taiwan|海巡逮越籍偷渡客 2人搶灘溺水亡

The Coast Guard Administration recently caught three women and two men from Vietnam on the beach of Tawa River, which is located between Taitung and Pingtung. A Taiwanese man was also captured. Of the five illegal immigrants, two were suspected to have drowned. An investigation is underway. Early on the morning of the 19th, a blip appeared on the coast guard radar 4 nautical miles from the coast. A patrol team was immediately sent to the area. Around 5 a.m., the team came across a rubber raft and scattered luggage on the beach of Tawa River between Taitung and Pingtung. A short while later, they found the bodies of two Vietnamese nationals. Police believe they drowned. There were Vietnamese stowaways on the boat. We successfully caught six people at the scene, including five Vietnamese nationals and one Taiwanese one. We are still investigating. The woman already had no vital signs, while the man was pronounced dead at the hospital. The coast guard later caught three other stowaways along with a Taiwanese man in the Nantian area. They told authorities they intended to land at Taitung's Dawu but their raft overturned due to huge waves when they were still 20 meters from the coast. An investigation is underway and the coast guard will work with Dawu police to look for any other stowaways that may still be at large.