Tragic Collision in Southwest China Waters Claims Lives of Eight Fishermen
A collision involving a commercial fishing vessel in the southwest waters of Hainan Island, China, has resulted in the death of all eight missing persons, as reported by China Central Television News on Wednesday (April 10). The Hainan Provincial Maritime Search and Rescue Center confirmed that after nearly eight days of efforts, the eight missing individuals on the sunken fishing boat “Yuenan Aoyu 36062” have all been found and unfortunately, all were declared deceased.
The search and rescue operation, which involved a total of 23 ships, one aircraft, and 243 personnel, was coordinated by the search and rescue center on Wednesday. Additional support from a naval rescue detachment in the southern theater and the Guangzhou Salvage Bureau was also utilized to conduct underwater exploration in the sea area where the incident occurred.
Divers located the remaining two missing persons in the cabin of the sunken vessel around 11 a.m., and their bodies were later recovered from the water and transported ashore by the “Nanhai Rescue 203” ship back to Sanya. With all eight victims now accounted for, the search and rescue operation has officially concluded.
The Hainan Provincial Maritime Search and Rescue Center and the Sanya Maritime Search and Rescue Sub-center deployed a total of 164 search and rescue vessels, 19 aircraft sorties, and over 1,500 personnel throughout the search and rescue efforts. The extensive search area covered over 10,000 square nautical miles, with seven navigation warnings issued and eight underwater exploration operations conducted.
The Panamanian container ship SITC DANANG (“Haifeng Da Nang”), which was involved in the collision, is currently undergoing accident investigation at the Sanya Port anchorage. The accident investigation team has pledged to ascertain the truth of the incident and assign responsibility promptly in accordance with the law.
The collision between the Panamanian container ship and the Guangdong-registered fishing vessel occurred last Wednesday, approximately 22 nautical miles southwest of Yinggehai Town, Ledong, Hainan. The collision led to the sinking of the fishing vessel and the loss of contact with the eight individuals on board, ultimately resulting in this tragic loss of life.