SEVEN people have been confirmed dead after a Chinese deep-sea fishing vessel capsized in the central Indian Ocean, China’s Ministry of Transport said Monday.

On Sunday, three bodies were retrieved by Chinese fishing vessels and another body was recovered from the cabin by divers from a Sri Lankan warship who joined the search and rescue efforts, the ministry said.

Another three people were confirmed dead previously.

No significant change has been reported on the condition of the ship, Lupeng Yuanyu 028, and it is drifting slowly eastward, according to the ministry.

Search and rescue work is underway, with 12 Chinese vessels and one Sri Lankan warship on site.

The capsized vessel had 39 people on board, including 17 Chinese mariners, 17 Indonesian mariners and five Philippine mariners.

The accident occurred at approximately 3 a.m. May 16.

The ministry has pledged all-out efforts to search for the missing people. (Xinhua)