The Philippine coast guard said Monday it has joined a search for a Taiwanese-flagged fishing vessel carrying six people, which was last spotted more than a week ago off Palau in the western Pacific.
U.S. Coast Guard aircraft have helped carry out a search, along with other Taiwanese fishing vessels, for Sheng Feng No. 128, which was last seen Feb. 17 with one Taiwanese and five Indonesian fishermen about 414 nautical miles (767 kilometers) northwest of Palau, the Philippine coast guard said, citing a report from Taiwanese authorities.
After Taiwanese coast guard officials sought help, the Philippine coast guard said it deployed a Cessna plane Monday and ordered five regional commands to launch a search off the country’s eastern coast where the missing fishing vessel may have drifted from the Pacific.
Two more Taiwanese coast guard vessels were joining the ongoing search, the Philippine coast guard said.