2 dead after Chinese speedboat capsizes in Kinmen waters

Taipei, Feb. 14 (CNA) A Chinese speedboat pursued by Taiwan Coast Guard personnel for illegally entering Taiwanese waters capsized near the Kinmen Islands on Wednesday, sending all four people on the boat into the water and killing two of them, according to the Coast Guard Administration.

Coast Guard personnel discovered an unnamed Chinese speedboat carrying four people in prohibited waters 1.1 nautical miles east of Beiding Island in Kinmen County at 1:45 p.m. Wednesday, while on duty to prevent unauthorized vessels from entering the area, the administration's Kinmen-Matsu-Penghu Branch said in a statement.

The personnel immediately requested that the boat submit to an inspection, but it resisted and capsized as it sped away, according to the administration.

All four people on the boat fell into the water and were rescued on the spot by the Coast Guard personnel and sent to hospital. Two were pronounced dead after efforts to resuscitate them failed, the administration said.

The other two are in stable condition and have been brought to Kinmen for further investigation by prosecutors.