Thirty-nine people are missing after a fishing boat capsized in the middle of the Indian Ocean amid "extreme" weather. Several ships and aircraft scoured the sea on Wednesday in search of the crew, which includes 17 people from China, 17 from Indonesia and five from the Philippines, according to reports.
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The Chinese boat capsized over 24 hours ago at roughly 3am (Beijing time) on Tuesday, reported the Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Li Qiang have ordered Chinese diplomats abroad, as well as the agriculture and transportation ministries, to assist in the search for survivors.
President Xi was quoted by Xinhua News Agency as saying "all-out efforts" must be made in the rescue operation
Meanwhile, Li ordered unspecified measures to "reduce casualties and strengthen the safety management of fishing vessels at sea to ensure safe maritime transport and production," Xinhua reported.
Australia, Indonesia and the Philippines have also expressed their willingness to join in the search.
No survivors or life rafts have been heard from since the incident.
Indonesia's National Search and Rescue Agency said the boat capsized around 2,900 miles (4,600 kilometres) northwest of Australia.
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority said it was coordinating the search in what it called a remote location in the Indian Ocean, about 3,100 miles (5,000 kilometres) northwest of the coastal city of Perth.
The agency said it received a distress beacon signal from the fishing vessel at around 5.30am on Tuesday.
It said the weather conditions in the area were "extreme", but improved by Wednesday.
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The Philippine Coast Guard Command Center said Wednesday it was monitoring the situation and coordinating with the Chinese Embassy in Manila, as well as search and rescue teams operating near the vessel’s last known location.
Merchant and fishing vessels in the area were also searching for survivors Wednesday.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said additional rescue assets were on their way to the scene.
"We will continue to take all measures possible with all parties to search and rescue the missing persons. The Chinese side thanks the Australian maritime search and rescue department for promptly dispatching aircraft and coordinating passing foreign ships to participate in the search and rescue," Wang told reporters at a daily briefing Wednesday.
China is believed to operate the world’s largest fishing fleet. Many of them stay at sea for months or even years at a time, supported by Chinese state maritime security agencies and a sprawling network of support vessels.
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