There are no survivors from the Chinese fishing vessel that capsized in the central Indian Ocean last May 16, a Chinese official announced Wednesday.
On board, the distant-water fishing vessel "Lupeng Yuanyu 028", owned by Penglai Jinglu Fishery Co Ltd based in Shandong province, were 39 crew members — five of them are Filipinos,17 Chinese crew members, and 17 Indonesians.
Their deaths were confirmed by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) in a statement.
"The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) expresses sincere condolences to the bereaved families of those who perished on board a Chinese fishing vessel that capsized in the Indian Ocean last week," the statement read.
"Since day one, we have been monitoring and coordinating with the Australian Maritime Rescue Center and the Chinese Embassy as to the progress of the search and rescue (SAR) operations," PCG Spokesperson, CG Rear Admiral Armand Balilo said.
Meanwhile, on behalf of PCG Commandant, CG Admiral Artemio M Abu, Coast Guard Officer-in-Charge, CG Vice Admiral Rolando Lizor Punzalan Jr also recognized the sacrifices of the Australian and Chinese SAR teams that conducted an extensive area of operations in the Indian Ocean.
The boat capsized within Australia's vast search-and-rescue region, Beijing's ambassador to Canberra said Thursday, noting it was 5,000 kilometers (3,100 miles) to the west of Perth, the state capital of Western Australia.
Reports from REUTERS said Sri Lankan divers found and recovered the remains in the cabin of the ship, CCTV reported according to the Chinese Ministry of Transport. The wrecked vessel continues to slowly drift eastward, CCTV said.
According to state media, 13 ships are still in the vicinity of where the boat sank.
CCTV footage last week showed high-powered marine radar on ships that were trying to locate the capsized vessel, while crew members were seen using visual equipment to pan sea waters to locate survivors.
