Associated Press Associated Press ADVERTISING HAGATNA, Guam — A Chinese fisherman was killed after Republic of Palau police officers fired at his boat, believed to fishing illegally off the Pacific island nation. A Cessna carrying an American pilot and two
Associated Press
HAGATNA, Guam — A Chinese fisherman was killed after Republic of Palau police officers fired at his boat, believed to fishing illegally off the Pacific island nation.
A Cessna carrying an American pilot and two Palau police officers that was dispatched to track a larger Chinese boat that was part of the operation has gone missing.
But the U.S. Coast Guard has been searching for the three since the pilot reported Sunday that they were running low on fuel and having navigational problems.
The plane was believed to have gone down near the republic’s southernmost island of Peleliu, said Lt. j.g. Richard Russell, enforcement officer for Sector Guam. But since the plane’s navigational equipment was failing, the pilot wasn’t able to give an accurate report.
“Right now we’re hoping we can find some kind of debris or clue about where this plane may have gone down,” Russell said. “We’re really digging into this as deeply as we can.”
Officers fired at the engines of the fishing vessel because it allegedly tried to ram the Palau boat, Fermin Meriang told Pacific Daily News.
“No one aimed directly at the man, so one of the bullets must have ricocheted off the engine and struck him in the thigh,” he said, adding the fisherman bled to death before he could be taken to a hospital.
According to court documents, five fishermen have been charged with illegal fishing and other charges. Another 20 Chinese fishermen were rounded up after a “mother ship” was later found, Meriang said.
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