2023-05-17 05:24:00
A Chinese fishing boat capsized in the Indian Ocean on Tuesday. Xi Jinping ordered rescue efforts to find all 39 crew members.
By QM with AFP
© GREG BAKER / AFP
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Un disaster that could lead to a heavy human toll. A Chinese fishing vessel has capsized in the Indian Ocean and its 39 crew members are missing, state media reported Wednesday (May 17). “So far, no missing persons have been found,” state broadcaster CCTV reported, adding that Chinese President Xi Jinping had ordered a search and rescue operation to be launched. .
The boat’s crew consists of 17 Chinese sailors, 17 Indonesians and 5 Filipinos, according to CCTV. The vessel, which is owned by Penglai Jinglu Fishery Co, a Chinese company specializing in the fishing industry, capsized around 3 a.m. Tuesday Beijing time (9 p.m. Paris Monday), the same source said.
Rescuers from Australia and several other countries have arrived at the scene of the sinking and China has deployed two vessels to assist in search operations, the channel said. The Chinese government has launched an emergency plan involving embassies and consulates in Australia, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Indonesia, the Philippines and other countries, according to the same source.
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The increasing number of maritime accidents for Chinese fishermen
China has the largest deep-sea fishing fleet in the world and in 2022 it had an estimated 564,000 vessels, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
But due to resource depletion, Chinese fishermen are forced to sail further and further, and they have been embroiled in a growing number of maritime disputes and accidents. Two Chinese crew members died in April when their ship sank off the Philippines.
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