Two people from the Chinese fishing vessel which sank in the central Indian Ocean were confirmed dead while China appreciated the help from a host of countries in the region including India for responding to its call for search and rescue operations for the remaining 37 missing sailors.
Two people were confirmed dead after a Chinese deep-sea fishing vessel Lupeng Yuanyu 028 capsized in the Indian Ocean on Tuesday, China’s Ministry of Transport said on Thursday.
So far 10 vessels, including three Chinese navy ships and one foreign ship, are carrying out on-site search and rescue work, and more ships will arrive, the ministry said, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
The capsized vessel, Lupeng Yuanyu 028, had 39 people on board, which include 17 Chinese mariners, 17 Indonesian mariners and five Philippine mariners.
“Truly appreciate the timely help”, the Chinese embassy in India tweeted sighting the Indian Navy’s statement.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told the media here on Thursday that “as we speak, the search and rescue operation is still underway”.
He said the rescue operation has drawn close attention from across the region.
Countries such as Australia, India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, the Maldives and the Philippines have extended emergency assistance and sent sympathies for the Chinese boat and crew, he said, providing an update about the search operations.