39 crew missing, including 5 Filipinos, as Chinese boat capsizes in Indian Ocean

39 crew missing, including 5 Filipinos, as Chinese boat capsizes in Indian Ocean
Agence France-Presse May 17, 2023 https://www.manilatimes.net/2023/05/17/news/39-crew-missing-including-5-...

THIRTY-NINE seafarers, icluding five Filipinos, are missing after their Chinese fishing vessel capsized in the central Indian Ocean, state media reported Wednesday.

Aside from the five Filipinos, 17 are Chinese and 17 Indonesian, state broadcaster CCTV said.

"So far, no missing persons have been found," CCTV said, adding President Xi Jinping had ordered a search and rescue operation.

The vessel, owned by Penglai Jinglu Fishery Co, capsized at about 3 a.m. Beijing time on Tuesday (1900 GMT Monday), CCTV said.

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.

Over the past two decades, China has built the world's largest deep-water fishing fleet.