Missing Taiwanese diver found dead in Chinese

探勘大陸幽靈船的失蹤淺水員尋獲已死亡

Keelung man was contractor on dismantling project

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The diver who went missing near a Chinese “ghost ship” on Wednesday (Dec, 25) around noon was found dead Wednesday night.

Lu (呂), 47, was reportedly one of the contractors hired to dismantle the ship, which had shown up abandoned near the coast of northeast Taiwan in September. He dove into the waters off the Yilan County township of Toucheng to inspect the task’s progress.

When he failed to show up after several hours, a colleague alerted the emergency services, but strong waves during the afternoon hampered their work and prevented them from diving, CNA reported.

It was not until 9:50 p.m. when the waves subsided that the rescue team found the Keelung man’s lifeless body stuck n the bottom of the ship’s cabin. The precise circumstances of his death are not yet known.

The freighter was initially located off New Taipei City, drifting without crew or cargo. As it became stranded in Yilan County, the authorities decided to tow it to the Daxi area of Toucheng before dismantling it. According to television footage from the scene, the task is nearly complete.