In a swift humanitarian action on May 17, the Indian Navy deployed its Air MR assets in the Southern Indian Ocean Region approximately 900 nautical miles from India, in response to the sinking of a Chinese Fishing Vessel Lu Peng Yuan Yu 028 with 39 crew onboard. The crew included nationals from China, Indonesia & the Philippines, the Indian Navy said in a statement Thursday.
Coordinated SAR efforts
In a display of India’s obligations as a credible & responsible partner for ensuring safety at sea, the Indian Navy units also coordinated SAR efforts with other units in the area and guided PLA(N) warships transiting to the scene of the incident, the Indian Navy said.
P8I aircraft have carried out multiple & extensive searches despite adverse weather and located multiple objects possibly belonging to the sunken vessel. As an immediate response, SAR eqpt was deployed at the scene by the Indian aircraft on request of PLA(N) ships closing the area.
Chinese ship missing since Tuesday
A Chinese deep-sea fishing vessel capsized on Tuesday in the central Indian Ocean, which has so far left 39 people on board missing, including 17 Chinese mariners, 17 Indonesian mariners and five Philippine mariners.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told media here on Wednesday that the Chinese and foreign vessels have arrived at relevant waters to conduct a search and rescue operation after the fishing vessel "Lupeng Yuanyu 028" capsized.
More help is on the way. "We will continue to work together with relevant sides to do everything possible to find those who have gone missing," he said.
We hope countries nearby will continue to join our search and rescue efforts. We will not give up as long as there is still hope for saving lives," he said.
