A CHINESE fishing vessel has capsized in the central Indian Ocean, with its crew of 17 Chinese, 17 Indonesian and five Filipino sailors missing, CCTV reported yesterday.

President Xi Jinping has demanded all-out efforts in the rescue of the missing people. Xi ordered efforts to further strengthen the investigation and early warning of potential safety risks in deep-sea operations to ensure the safety of life and property.

Premier Li Qiang urged all-out efforts to reduce casualties and strengthen safety management of fishing vessels at sea to ensure safe maritime transport and production.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the Ministry of Transport and Shandong Province have activated emergency response mechanism to organize the rescue work.

A multinational search and rescue operation was under way to locate the mariners.

The missing vessel, named Lu Peng Yuan Yu 028, capsized at about 3 a.m. Beijing time Tuesday.

Teams from around the region are now at the scene and China has deployed two commercial vessels — the Lu Peng Yuan Yu 018 and Yuan Fu Hai — to help in the operation.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs launched an “emergency mechanism for consular protection” involving embassies and consulates in Australia, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Indonesia, the Philippines and other countries, according to CCTV.

(SD-Xinhua)