Vietnam verifying reports of citizens found dead off Taiwan coast

"Authorities of Taiwan have announced the discovery of 11 bodies at sea, including several that carried Vietnamese identification papers," Pham Thu Hang, deputy spokeswoman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told VnExpress in a statement Thursday.

Vietnamese agencies have worked with Taiwan officials to verify the information and support Vietnamese representative agencies in Taipei to perform necessary consular procedures, Hang said.

Taiwan Coast Guard Administration on Wednesday informed about the discovery of 16 bodies along Taiwan’s western coast early this month. CGA said two of the bodies have been confirmed as male Vietnamese nationals.

The statement came after local television channel TVBS reported that a man's body was found on a wind turbine platform in a wind farm off Taichung Harbor on March 7. The report said coastal patrols found another seven half naked bodies, male and female, along the coast from Taichung to Kaohsiung two weeks after the first discovery.

Hang said Vietnam will continue to work with Taiwan authorities to identify the victims and carry out necessary citizen protection measures.