Taiwanese news outlets report that a ferry ran aground as a result of bad weather near Lanyu Island in southeastern Taiwan on Friday, March 28.
Jinxing No 3 had departed Lanyu with a final destination of Houbihu in Pingtung County when strong winds caused by the prevailing northeast monsoon pushed the vessel towards a shallow area just off the coast until its hull made bottom contact at around 15:00 local time on Friday.
Two Taiwan Coast Guard Administration (TCGA) patrol boats as well as some Good Samaritan fishing boats deployed to the area shortly afterwards to render assistance.
At the time of the incident, the ferry had 55 embarked passengers and eight crewmembers. All were rescued without injury.
The grounded ferry was later towed to port in Lanyu. The extent of the damage it suffered has not yet been determined.
The TCGA and the local maritime port bureau have launched an investigation to identify the events that led to the mishap.