346 passengers have ocean scare as ship floods off the coast of Chiayi
TAIPEI, Taiwan -- The Chiayi Coast Guard rescued over 300 passengers off of a flooded Kai Shiuan Number 3 turbo passenger ship late on Friday.
▲圖／翻攝自中國郵報
The ship was making its usual route from Penghu Islands's Magong to Chiayi County's Budai when it reportedly started to fill with water about 8 nautical miles away from its destination, local media stated.
Reports say an engine failure had led to the ship wobbling and filling with water.
At that point, the ship's captain asked all 346 passengers to put on their life vests, while some passengers reportedly immediately jumped into the lifeboats.
The coast guard dispatched three ships on the rescue mission, and with the help of an All Star (滿天星) ferry and a Chinese cargo ship nearby, all passengers were able to reach the harbor safely.
No one was injured in the incident, and one passenger even posted on their Facebook page about the predicament while awaiting rescue.
The Kai Shiuan Number 3 turbo passenger ship is a NT$180 million (US$5.8 million) vessel that weighs 482 tons. Its body is 40.1 meters long, 10.1 meters wide and 4 meters high.
The ship is equipped with both long- and short-range radar systems as well as night-sailing instruments, and can travel up to 35 nautical miles per hour. Its economy class area sits 346 passengers.
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