If you're attempting to keep up with the story of two American women who were rescued after five months at sea, but whose tale keeps taking weird turns, there's an update. The government of Taiwan says that, no, the Taiwanese fishing crew that spotted the women afloat last month had no plans to murder them, reports Focus Taiwan. The sensational allegations were raised by Jennifer Appel and Tasha Fuiava, who claimed that the fishing vessel first rammed them and that its crew planned to kill them in the night after they were brought aboard. Nope, says the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
"We are not certain why they made such ungrounded accusations," says a spokesman. In fact, the ministry says it can prove that the vessel didn't ram the women's boat, based on data about the fishing vessel's speed and position. No such collision was recorded, per Taiwan News (which refers to Appel as "loopy lady" in its headline). The women also said they used a satellite phone once aboard the Taiwan vessel to call the US Coast Guard for help, suggesting the move saved their lives, but Taiwan says the fishing vessel had already notified the proper authorities by that point. The fishing vessel towed the women closer to shore, where they were picked up by a US Navy vessel dispatched from Guam. (More rescue stories.)
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