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China saves 330 Vietnam fishermen caught in typhoon
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2006-05-21 17:01 A total of 330 Vietnamese
fishermen caught in Typhoon Chanchu have been saved by Chinese rescuers, said
China Maritime Search and Rescue Center on Sunday.
The center said
Saturday afternoon they saved 97 Vietnamese fishermen on three boats, with 18
bodies aboard. No new recovery of bodies had been reported as of Sunday
afternoon.
According to the center, by 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, Chinese
rescue ship "Nanhaijiu 111" had found 21 Vietnamese fishing boats in danger in
the sea areas of the Dongsha Islands, in the South China Sea.
"Nanhaijiu
111" has provided food, fresh water and fuel to 306 Vietnamese fishermen on 14
fishing boats, said the center.
On Friday afternoon, another Chinese
rescue ship "Dejin" found and saved another endangered Vietnamese fishing boat
with 24 fishermen on board near the Dongsha Islands.
The rescue
operation has lasted for more than 40 hours, and Chinese rescuers are continuing
their search for other endangered Vietnamese fishermen, who are estimated at
more than one hundred.
The center said they received a telegraph from
the Chinese Embassy in Vietnam Friday afternoon, which said 22 Vietnamese
fishing boats and hundreds of fishermen were caught in the storms brought by
Typhoon Chanchu, running out of oil and fresh water. Having lost contact with
them, the Vietnamese side asked the Chinese side for help.
The rescue
center immediately launched an emergency rescue program, and one hour later
"Nanhaijiu 111" rescue ship was on the way to the site. It arrived at Dongsha at
3:33 a.m. on Saturday after about 10 hours voyage.
The Chinese Ministry
of Communications said during the successful large-scale international rescue
operation ever launched by China, they have contacted with the Hong Kong
maritime rescue center for assistance.
While alarming the passing ships
for safe voyage, the center also asked them to give a hand in search of the
missing Vietnamese fishermen.
According to the center, at 6:40 a.m.
Saturday, after three-hour search upon its arrival, "Nanhaijiu 111" got in tough
with one Vietnamese fishing boat, "DNA09189", which carried 32 fishermen and
eight bodies.
Rescuers helped the fishing boat regain the capability to
sail independently and invited it to join the search for the other Vietnamese
fishing boats.
By 11:47, another two Vietnamese fishing boats,
"DNA90345" and "DNA90299", were found some 20 nautical miles off the Dongsha
Islands. There were 32 fishermen and five bodies on "DNA90345", and 33 fishermen
and five bodies on "DNA90299". Rescuers then offered fresh water, food and fuel
to the two Vietnamese fishing boats.
By 16:45, Chinese rescuers found
nine more Vietnamese fishing boats about eight nautical miles off the Dongsha
Islands, said the center.
The center said it kept reporting the progress
to the Vietnam's national rescue center.
On Saturday, the Vietnamese
Foreign Ministry called the Chinese Embassy in Vietnam, conveying the sincere
thanks of the Vietnamese government for China's help to the endangered
Vietnamese fishermen, and hoping the Chinese side could continue the rescue
operation.
Rescuers said the excited Vietnamese fishermen, after being
saved, stammered thanks in Cantonese. Some of them raised posters they wrote in
both Chinese and English which read "Thank the Chinese government! Thank Chinese
sailors! Thank you!"
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