The vessel, named Fu Shun, capsized around 05:45 local time (21:45 GMT Wednesday) due to the violent effects of Typhoon Gaemi, which had made landfall on the island.
With the ship sinking fast, the crew found themselves with insufficient time to reach their life raft. In a desperate bid for survival, they decided to jump into the turbulent sea, grouping themselves into two teams: one of five and another of four.
Rescue operations began in earnest, with the Taiwanese Coast Guard announcing on Thursday afternoon that one group of four, all Myanmar nationals, had been located. Tragically, the ship’s captain was discovered deceased on Friday morning at around 06:55 local time. Four other crew members from the captain’s group remain unaccounted for.
The survivors, all of whom were wearing life jackets, recounted how high waves had swept away the jackets of three colleagues in the other group. Two survivors were eventually found by locals on a beach in Kaohsiung around 16:00, who then transported them to a police station. The remaining two survivors were rescued by the Coast Guard later that evening at a different coastal location.
One survivor shared a gripping account of his ordeal, describing how he swam backwards to retrieve a waist bag containing his passport before making a desperate dash for shore. Another survivor, overcome with emotion, broke down in tears upon calling his family, who had feared he was dead after seeing news reports on Thursday.
Officials reported that rescue efforts were hindered by rough seas and high waves. Photographs released by the Coast Guard show the survivors wrapped in ponchos and towels, receiving medical attention for their injuries.
In addition to the Fu Shun incident, eight other cargo ships carrying 79 crew members remain stranded in the stormy waters. The Ocean Affairs Council confirmed that all crew members are safe, and efforts are underway to prevent potential oil spills.
Typhoon Gaemi, which has now been downgraded to a tropical storm, has wreaked havoc across Taiwan and the Philippines, resulting in at least 21 fatalities. The storm made a second landfall in China’s southeastern Fujian province on Thursday evening, leading to the evacuation of nearly 300,000 people and the suspension of public transport across eastern China on Friday.