A Hong Kong fisherman died and four other fishermen were missing on Monday after two boats capsized off Taiwan in strong winds whipped up by Typhoon Aere, rescuers said.
The Hong Kong-based Yee Hoi Tung Number One, carrying nine fishermen — all from Hong Kong or China — overturned 29km off the northern port of Keelung early on Monday.
Six fishermen were rescued but one died later in hospital, said an official from the National Rescue Command Center. A search was continuing for the three missing men, he added.
Rescuers in southern Pingtung also reported one local fisherman missing after a boat overturned.
The central weather bureau urged people on the island to take precautions as the typhoon approached. The foul weather forced defence authorities to postpone war games, scheduled for Wednesday, to September 9.
Aere’s center was located 390km east-southeast of Taipei at 5.30pm local time. It was moving north-west at a speed of 15kph and packing winds at its centre of up to 120kph.
Downpours in the wake of Typhoon Mindulle last month triggered floods and mudslides in central and southern Taiwan in which 29 people were killed. — Sapa-AFP