Fishermen on a boat who are
left stranded by Typhoon Hagibis wait to get aid from maritime
rescue center near the Xisha and Nansha Island groups in the South
China Sea November 27, 2007. [Xinhua]
A maritime rescue
helicopter airdrops bottled water to a fisherman left stranded by
Typhoon Hagibis on the Xisha and Nansha Island groups in the South
China Sea November 27, 2007. [Xinhua]
A maritime rescue
helicopter airdrops bottled water to fishermen left stranded by
Typhoon Hagibis on the Xisha and Nansha Island groups in the South
China Sea November 27, 2007. [Xinhua]
China's maritime rescue center has dispatched three rescue
vessels and a helicopter to help more than 760 fishermen left
stranded by Typhoon Hagibis in the waters off the Xisha and Nansha
island groups.
As of noon Tuesday, 323 people in and around Xisha were said to
be out of danger after bottled mineral water and food were
airdropped to them from the helicopter, according to a news release
issued by the Ministry of Communications.
It said 233 fishermen from Qionghai in Hainan Province aboard 19
boats and 90 people who live on the small islands had been stranded
for more than 10 days, with both drinking water and food in short
supply.
The rescue vessel Nanhaijiu 199, carrying 4 tons of rice and 300
tons of water, is currently en route to the area.
In the waters off the Nansha islands, the Nanhaijiu 112
yesterday picked up seven stranded Vietnamese fishermen, the
ministry said.
Another rescue vessel, the Nanhaijiu 111, which is carrying 2.5
tons of rice, 600 kg of flour and large supplies of water, was
expected to reach the area in the early hours of today.
The ministry said more than 400 fishermen from Qionghai and 29
from the Philippines were stranded aboard 15 boats in the Nansha
area.
Chinese fishermen picked up the Filipinos after their vessel
sank last Thursday while trying to moor near a reef to escape the
storm.
Fifty-five people are believed to have been on board the
stricken vessel, 26 of whom are still missing.
The two rescue vessels heading to Nansha set off on Friday, but
high winds and huge waves forced them to moor temporarily at nearby
reefs, an official with the China Rescue and Salvage Bureau
surnamed Chen, said.
The ministry said the typhoon had now passed and winds around
the Nansha islands had dropped.
(China Daily, November 28, 2007)
