The Philippines joins the US in search for missing Taiwanese fishing vessel carrying 6 people

The Philippine coast guard said Monday it has joined a search for a Taiwanese-flagged fishing vessel carrying six people, which was last spotted more than a week ago off Palau in the western Pacific.

U.S. Coast Guard aircraft have helped carry out a search, along with other Taiwanese fishing vessels, for Sheng Feng No. 128, which was last seen Feb. 17 with one Taiwanese and five Indonesian fishermen about 414 nautical miles northwest of Palau, the Philippine coast guard said, citing a report from Taiwanese authorities.

A Philippine coast guard ship sails in the South China Sea on May 14, 2019. The Filipino coast guard joined the U.S. Monday in search for a missing Taiwanese fishing vessel that was carrying six people. (TED ALJIBE/AFP via Getty Images)

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After Taiwanese coast guard officials sought help, the Philippine coast guard said it deployed a Cessna plane Monday and ordered five regional commands to launch a search off the country’s eastern coast where the missing fishing vessel may have drifted from the Pacific.

Two more Taiwanese coast guard vessels were joining the ongoing search, the Philippine coast guard said.