Two bodies recovered during search operation of Chinese fishing vessel

Two dead bodies were recoveredon Thursday during the search operation conducted for 39 missing crew members at a Chinese fishing vessel which had capsized in the Indian Ocean, reported Beijing's state media.

The ongoing search operation took place after the capsizing of the Lu Peng Yuan Yu 028 "found and salvaged the remains of two victims", reported Xinhua news agency.

In the early hours of Tuesday, the Chinese fishing vessel, which was carrying 17 Chinese, 17 Indonesians and five Filipinos, overturned.

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The officials did not provide details of the nationalities of the two dead bodies found on Thursday.

The Chinese boat capsized within the vast search-and-rescue region of Australia, said Beijing's ambassador to Canberra on Thursday, while mentioning it was 5,000 kilometres (3,100 miles) to the west of Perth, Western Australia's state capital.

It is the responsibility of the countries to carry out search and rescue operations in determined areas of the oceans across the world under an international maritime convention.

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Australia sentthree aeroplanes and four ships for search operations

Three aeroplanes and four ships were sent by Australia to assist the international search-and-rescue efforts, said Ambassador Xiao Qian earlier, appealing to Canberra to send more ships, aircraft and personnel to find the Chinese vessel.

He further requested the government of Australia to co-ordinate with other nations closer to the capsized ship. Further help is now being sought by China in co-ordination with Australian defence officials, he stated.

"To this moment, no individual has been found alive," Xiao stated. An Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) spokesperson said that rescue efforts are being organised by Australia and liaising with China's government authorities in the search operation for survivors.

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Aircraft, which includes an Australian military plane, were currently scouring a 12,000 square kilometre (4,600 square miles) area, south of which the upturned hull was discovered as part of the "multinational" effort, the spokesperson stated.

"A number of merchant ships and other vessels have been assisting with the search and will continue to do so today. AMSA would like to thank these vessels and their crews for their invaluable assistance," the spokesperson added.

The distress beacon of the fishing vessel was first detected after seven metres high waves were driven by Cyclone Fabian and strong winds blew at a speed of 120 kilometres per hour (75 miles per hour) through the area.

Rough weather conditions have been hampering rescue efforts, stated AMSA.

The Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre (JRCC) in Canberra stated that it "remains hopeful for a successful outcome, however the time elapsed combined with the weather conditions experienced make survival more challenging.”

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