Eight missing after Taiwan research boat capsizes
Taipei (AFP) - Taiwanese rescuers were searching for eight people who went missing on Friday after a marine research ship capsized, while 37 others on the boat had been accounted for, the government said.
The vessel -- carrying 45 people -- capsized off the Penghu islands earlier Friday, a cabinet statement said.
The coastguard and the navy dispatched six vessels and two helicopters, rescuing 37 people, the statement said.
The 2,700-tonne ship departed from a port in southern Tainan city on Thursday for an eight-day marine research expedition jointly conducted by several universities, according to the Central News Agency.
The boat capsized possibly after hitting reefs, the agency said.
