The Coast Guard, Navy and Good Samaritans are searching tonight for a life raft from a 95-foot Taiwanese fishing vessel that was found Friday adrift 550 miles northeast of Midway Island.
The Coast Guard launched multiple aircrews, assisted by Navy aircrews and Taiwanese vessels, to search for 10 crew members possiblly on a life raft, , the Coast Guard said in a news release tonight.
At 9 :38 p.m. Friday, the Coast Guard in Honolulu got a report from Rescue Coordination Center Taipei that they had lost contact with the fishing vessel Yong-Yu-Sing No. 18.
The Joint Rescue Coordination Center Honolulu made multiple attempts by satellite phone, but were unable to reach the crew. They contacted commercial vessels after issuing a SafetyNet broadcast and launched an HC-130 Hercules plane.
The Hercules aircrew found the vessel and used a radio to try to contact the crew, but got no response.
Poor weather conditions prevented the crew from seeing any crew members on the fishing boat. The aircrew took a photo of the vessel before returning to base due to low fuel.
The photo revealed damage to the ship and one of its life rafts missing.
The Coast Guard contacted its partners for help.
Involved in the search tonight are two Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point C-130 Hercules aircrews, a Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak C-130J Hercules aircrew, four Taiwanese fishing vessels and a Navy Boeing P-8 Poseidon aircrew.
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