China has sought the assistance of Sri Lanka alongside several other countries to conduct coordinated search and rescue operations to assist a Chinese fishing vessel that had capsized in the central Indian Ocean.
The Chinese State Media reported on Wednesday that the distant-water fishing vessel “Lupeng Yuanyu 028” was owned by Penglai Jinglu Fishery Co Ltd based in Shandong province.
According to foreign media reports, Chinese broadcaster CCTV said that the vessel had capsized at about 3 a.m. Beijing time on Tuesday.
State broadcaster CCTV further reported that the crew of 17 Chinese, 17 Indonesian and five Filipino sailors is missing.
“So far, no missing persons have been found,” state broadcaster CCTV said, adding that President Xi Jinping had ordered a search and rescue operation.
Meanwhile, search and rescue teams from Australia and several other countries have arrived on the scene and China has deployed two vessels to assist in the operation, the broadcaster reported.
China’s maritime search and rescue centre had informed relevant countries of the incident.
The Foreign Ministry had also told its missions in Australia, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Indonesia, the Philippines and other countries to coordinate search and rescue operations, it added. (NewsWire)
