A Taiwan fishing boat sank 40 nautical miles off Tamsui, northern Taiwan, Saturday morning, killing at least five crew members, according to news from Taipei.

Two other crew members were rescued, while one remained missing.

The Suao-based fishing boat "Sea Dragon No. 001" sent a call for emergency assistance at 10: 54 AM, by which time the vessel was already taking on dangerous amounts of water due to a breach in the hull.

The Coast Guard Administration immediately sent seven rescue boats and a helicopter to the scene upon receiving the distress call.

The search for the missing crew member is still under way.

In a separate development, three people were killed in a fire at a 25-storey department store in Taichung City of Taiwan, local television stations said Saturday.

Firemen rescued nine people, three of them were injured.

Two helicopters joined the rescue work. The fire was under control at about 5:30 PM.

The cause of the incident is under investigation.

(Xinhua News Agency February 26, 2005)