133 plucked to safety

　TAIWAN rescuers in helicopters and dinghies saved 133 mainland fishermen from a burning boat yesterday as a tropical storm whipped up high seas and gales.One fisherman was missing.The men were winched from the boat before it sank in rough seas near the southern port of Kaohsiung. The morning rescue operation lasted four hours, and much of it was shown live on cable TV.“Investigators are looking into the possibility that the fire was caused by the engine or short-circuited wires,’’ rescue party spokesman Chang Yu-shih said.Chang said that 133 fishermen were rescued, but one was missing. The man apparently fell into rough seas before the rescue operation began, he said.The boat was a floating dormitory for mainland fishermen who work for Taiwanese fishing companies but don’t have travel documents to leave the port and stay on land.The fishermen huddled in the front of the boat as the vessel belched thick black smoke. Two helicopters hovered above, lowering lines and winching the men up one or two at a time.Some of the men jumped into the water and swam to rubber motorized dinghies. Others strapped on life jackets dropped by the helicopters. (Continued on Page 3)