Taitung boy swept out to sea, rescuer also missing

Taipei, May 28 (CNA) A boy who was swept out to the sea while playing at the mouth of a river in Taitung, and a nearby angler who jumped in to rescue him late Wednesday afternoon, were both missing as of press time, according to police.

A witness said the angler dropped his fishing rod and leapt into the sea on seeing the boy swept away, managed to grab hold of him, and tried to swim back to shore, but both were engulfed by a large wave and disappeared.

"Help. A child has fallen into the water," said a witness, recalling that it was his older brother surnamed Chen (陳) who rushed to save the boy under the South Taimali Bridge in Taimali Township.

The boy, around five or six years old, was with elder relatives.

The Taitung County Fire Department said it received a drowning report around 6 p.m. and sent inflatable boats to search the area where the incident occurred, joined by a Coast Guard patrol vessel and a helicopter conducting an aerial search.

The sea search was temporarily suspended after sunset due to darkness and the onset of rain.