China rescues 97 Vietnamese fisherman in typhoon
(AP)
Updated: 2006-05-20 21:57
A Chinese rescue ship saved 97 Vietnamese fishermen Saturday in the South
China Sea, and continued to search for other Vietnamese missing in the wake of
Typhoon Chanchu, a report said.
A man stands on a road
flooded by water after being hit by Typhoon Chanchu in Xiamen, in China's
eastern Fujian province, Thursday May 18, 2006.
[AP] |
The rescue ship also recovered 18 bodies, the official Xinhua News Agency
reported.
It was unclear if the 97 saved fishermen were among almost 200 whose vessels
sank and who were reported missing and presumed dead by authorities in the
Vietnamese port city of Danang.
Responding to a request from the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
China dispatched the Nanhaijiu 111 to the Dongsha Islands, Xinhua reported.
They arrived early Saturday morning to find 12 Vietnamese fishing boats
carrying 356 fishermen in danger of running out of fuel and water, Xinhua
reported.
The rescue ship provided fuel and provisions to three fishing boats, which
joined the search for the rest of the missing under their own power, it
reported.
The Dongsha Islands, also known as the Pratas Islands, are about 300
kilometers (185 miles) southwest of Hong Kong.
A duty officer at the Chinese Maritime Rescue Bureau who refused to give his
name said all questions must go through an information office that is closed
until Monday.
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