39 people missing after Chinese fishing vessel sinks

An international search and rescue operation is underway to find the 39 crew members of a Chinese fishing vessel that sank in the Indian Ocean, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Wednesday (May 17th). The ship’s crew is made up of 17 Chinese sailors, 17 Indonesians and five Filipinos. The ship capsized around 3 a.m. Tuesday (9 p.m. Monday in Paris), the state channel said.

“So far, no missing person has been found”, CCTV reported, adding that Chinese President Xi Jinping had ordered the launch of a search and rescue operation. Rescuers from Australia and several other countries arrived at the scene of the sinking. “It is necessary to strengthen the safety management of fishing vessels at sea and implement preventive measures to ensure the safety of maritime transport”said Chinese Premier Li Qiang.

The vessel belonged to Penglai Jinglu Fishery Co., a Chinese company specializing in the fishing industry. It left Cape Town, South Africa, on May 5, en route to Busan, South Korea, according to tracking site MarineTraffic. The vessel was last located on May 10 southeast of Reunion, in the Indian Ocean. Contacted by AFP, Penglai Jinglu Fishery Co. declined to comment.