A violent brawl reportedly broke out inside a Taiwanese fishing vessel resulting in the death of one Filipino worker. The brawl, which apparently involved workers wielding metal bars and knives, took place early on Wednesday aboard the fishing vessel Wen Peng. The vessel was staffed by 21 workers from both Indonesia and the Philippines. The Wen Peng was reportedly sailing across the Indian Ocean when the fighting occurred.
Officers aboard the vessel contacted the Taiwanese coastguard and asked for assistance. Several of the workers on board had apparently jumped overboard to avoid getting hurt. A rescue operation was then ordered to track and save workers who had jumped ship after the tussle had started.
Due to the distance of the vessel from the nearest port, the coast guard estimated that it would take 13 days for rescue workers to arrive at their location, which was around 1,500 nautical miles northeast from the island of Mauritius. Fortunately, a nearby Taiwanese vessel called the Hong Fu 88 responded to the Wen Peng's distress call.
During the ship's arrival, the responding vessel was able to spot and rescue four workers who had jumped ship after the fighting had started. At least 10 other people were sighted floating in the water, all of which were also rescued. When the coastguard finally arrived, they reportedly could not board the Wen Peng as one of the workers was threatening them with a metal bar.
According to the manager of the Liu-Chiu Fishermen's Association, the officers of the Wen Peng were all safe and unharmed. The captain and his chief engineers, all Taiwanese nationals, were able to lock themselves inside the bridge after the brawl erupted. Reports have also confirmed that a Taiwanese government official was on board the vessel. He was also able to escape the violence along with the officers of the ship.
Taiwan's coastguard has confirmed that the incident resulted in the death of one Filipino worker, while another worker was critically injured. It is not yet clear if the fight was caused by an argument with the workers and the officers or if it was caused by an argument amongst the workers themselves. The coastguard and Taiwanese authorities are still investigating everyone that was involved in the incident.
Taiwan currently has a thriving tuna fishing industry, with one of the world's largest fishing fleets operating around its waters. Most of the fishermen and crew onboard these ships are migrant workers from other Southeast Asian countries, including the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia.
