Search continues for Vietnamese man who fell into river in Miaoli

Taipei, June 9 (CNA) Efforts are ongoing to locate a Vietnamese man who went missing Sunday after falling into a river during a barbecue in Miaoli County, a senior official from the county's Fire Bureau said Monday.

Cheng Sheng-feng (鄭勝峰), head of the bureau's first disaster relief unit, said they received a report around 6 p.m. Sunday that a group of five Vietnamese nationals had been barbecuing and playing by the Houlong River near the border of Miaoli City and Gongguan Township.

A 32-year-old Vietnamese migrant worker surnamed Nguyen slipped off a concrete block of a check dam -- a low barrier-- into the water and suddenly disappeared, the report said.

The bureau quickly dispatched over 10 firefighters and volunteer rescuers to the scene, using an aerial camera to aid the search. However, the nearly three-hour effort ended without success due to darkness and strong currents, Cheng said.

The search resumed at 7 a.m. Monday, but strong currents beneath the dam suggest the man may have been pulled underwater by a whirlpool and trapped on the riverbed, Cheng said.

Sources familiar with the matter said Nguyen was with four Vietnamese friends -- three men and one woman -- during the barbecue outing along the Houlong River.

It is suspected that due to the hot weather, Nguyen attempted to slide and dive into the water but was swept away by the fast-flowing river.

The Miaoli County Fire Bureau said that swimming and playing in the water are prohibited along the Houlong River.

The bureau added that especially during the plum rain season, even if the lower river looks calm with no wind or rain, heavy rainfall upstream can quickly cause flooding, creating hidden currents and turbulent waters.