Chinese boat sinks in Indian Ocean; Indian Navy plane aids rescue op
New Delhi, May 18: The Indian Navy sent a P-8I maritime patrol aircraft to assist in the search and rescue of a Chinese fishing vessel that sank in the Indian Ocean with 39 crew members on board.
Despite the terrible weather conditions, the P8I aircraft conducted frequent and comprehensive searches on Wednesday and discovered multiple objects likely belonging to the sunken vessel, according to the Navy.
In response to the sinking of the Chinese fishing vessel Lu Peng Yuan Yu 028, Indian Navy deployed its air maritime reconnaissance assets in the Southern Indian Ocean Region approximately 900 nautical miles from India in swift humanitarian action on May 17.
Nationals from China, Indonesia, and the Philippines are among the crew members. "In a display of India's obligations as a credible and responsible partner for ensuring safety at sea, the Indian Navy units also coordinated search and rescue efforts with other units in the area and guided the PLA Navy warships transiting to the scene of incident," it added.
On Thursday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin told reporters that "as we speak, the search and rescue operation is still underway." He stated that the rescue operation has drawn close attention from across the region.
“Countries like Australia, India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, the Maldives and the Philippines have extended emergency assistance and sent sympathies for the Chinese boat and crew”, he added.
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- With inputs from agencies
