Navy Deploys Aircraft For Search And Rescue Operation After Chinese Vessel Sinks With 39 Onboard

The Indian Navy on May 17 deployed its P-8I aircraft as part of search and rescue efforts to locate the Chinese fishing vessel

The Indian Navy has deployed its air assets for search and rescue operations after a Chinese fishing vessel sank in the Indian Ocean with 39 people on board. The Chinese fishing vessel, which had crew from China, Indonesia & the Philippines, capsised in the central part of the Indian Ocean on Tuesday.

The Indian Navy on May 17 deployed its P-8I aircraft in the southern Indian Ocean Region, approximately 900 NM from India, as part of search and rescue efforts to locate the Chinese fishing vessel Lu Peng Yuan Yu 028.

In a statement, the Navy said the P-8I aircraft carried out multiple and extensive searches despite adverse weather and located multiple objects possibly belonging to the sunken vessel.

"As an immediate response, SAR equipment was deployed at the scene by the Indian aircraft on request of PLA(N) ships closing the area," the Indian Navy said.

"In a display of India's obligations as a credible and responsible partner for ensuring safety at sea, the Indian Navy units also coordinated SAR efforts with other units in the area and guided PLA(N) warships transiting to the scene of the incident," the Indian Navy further said.

Xinhua news agency reported that two bodies have been found so far. "The ongoing search operation following the capsizing of the Lu Peng Yuan Yu 028 found and salvaged the remains of two victims," the report said.

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

Last month, Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar said there was a "large presence" of Chinese vessels in the Indian Ocean Region and India kept a "very close watch" on the developments in the region to protect and preserve its national interests in the maritime domain, PTI reported.

"The Indian Navy's role is to protect, promote and preserve national interests in the maritime domain, wherever they are, and it assesses the threats and challenges," the Navy chief said.

"On a daily basis, it is being seen that there is a certain amount of contestation happening at sea. It is well below the threshold of conflict, but possibility of a full-fledged cannot be ruled out," he further said.