The family of a University of Oklahoma student who went missing while on vacation in Taiwan has offered a $50,000 reward after officials reportedly called off their search.
Diego Dorantes Sanchez, 23, vanished from Da Bai Sha beach on Green Island at about 12.15 p.m. local time on Friday, according to his family.
The anthropology student from Hidalgo, Mexico, was snorkelling with three friends off the small volcanic island, branded “snorkelers’ paradise” for its vibrant coral reefs, which is situated about 20 miles east of the main island.
Sanchez’s friends, along with several snorkelers and scuba divers who were present near the group, began their search at about 1 p.m. after realizing the student had disappeared, the family told OU Daily, the University of Oklahoma’s student newspaper.
The Taiwanese Coast Guard was alerted, but adverse weather conditions delayed search efforts, the family said.
Sanchez’s family told the student newspaper that the agency conducted its search limited to Green Island.
However, experts assisting in the search, who have analyzed possible drift paths, believe Sanchez could be near Yonaguni and Ishigaki, two small Japanese islands in Okinawa Prefecture, approximately 150 miles northeast of Green Island.
Friends and family called for cross-national cooperation between Taiwanese and Japanese officials and local communities to begin coordinated search and rescue efforts.
“We urge everyone with access to these areas to please search and report anything that may help,” the family said.
While friend Natalia Fabry told KOCO News: “If you can please go to your shores and look for anyone who may be waiting for rescue. If you have a boat or you’re a sailor or fisherman, if you’re a diver, if you have a helicopter, anything, anyone, please help us.”
However, officials concluded their search for Sanchez on Monday, according to an update posted by friend Luis Castro on a GoFundMe page set up to support the search efforts for the missing student.
Sanchez’s family, who are now in Taiwan, is offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to his location, according to the fundraising page.
“+72 hours have passed since Diego was reported missing,” read an update posted Monday. “Therefore, Taiwanese government has stopped the thorough search. Diego’s family has decided to offer a $50,000 reward (group of people, organization, government, anyone) to intensify the search. His family has reached Taiwan.”
The Independent has contacted the Taiwanese Coast Guard for more information.
