Eight people have been found and are still missing after a fishing boat collided and sank in the southwestern waters of Hainan. Search and rescue operations are ongoing.

　　Today (April 6), reporters learned from the Hainan Provincial Maritime Search and Rescue Center that on the 3rd, the Panamanian container ship SITC DANANG ("Haifeng Da Nang") collided with the fishing vessel "Guangdong Nan Ao Yu 36062" in the southwest waters of Hainan Island. The search and rescue operation has entered its fourth day. So far, eight missing people on the fishing boat have not been found. The specific location of the sunken fishing boat has been confirmed, and professional forces are being organized to carry out on-site exploration and search work.

　　At noon today, a rescue detachment of the Navy of the Southern Theater Command participating in the search and rescue work used a remotely operated submersible to photograph the name of the sunken ship. After verification with the ship owner, it was confirmed that it was a wrecked fishing vessel. However, due to the strong current at the site and the entanglement of fishing nets around the sunken ship, divers have not yet been able to enter the cabin to explore. In addition, the search and rescue center has coordinated with the Guangzhou Salvage Bureau to send professionals with equipment to take the scientific research vessel "Dianke No. 1" to the waters where the incident occurred to carry out underwater exploration operations.

　　Since the collision, the Hainan Provincial Maritime Search and Rescue Center has coordinated all forces to carry out large-scale search and rescue work. As of 17:00 on April 6, we have coordinated with the Hainan Maritime Safety Administration, the Southern Theater Command Navy, the South China Sea Rescue Bureau, the South China Sea Navigation Support Center, the Guangzhou Salvage Bureau, the Sanya Coast Guard Bureau, the fishery departments of Qiong and Guangdong, and CNOOC Hainan Branch. The Chinese side has dispatched 77 search and rescue vessels, 12 aircraft, and 614 personnel. The total search area is 5,716 square nautical miles. One life raft, six lifebuoys, and one emergency position indicator have been found. No missing persons have been found yet.

　　While organizing the search and rescue of missing persons, the search and rescue center coordinated with a rescue detachment of the Southern Theater Command Navy and the South China Sea Navigation Support Center to carry out uninterrupted shipwreck scanning and positioning and underwater robot exploration for three days. The Sanya Maritime Safety Administration continued to issue navigation warnings. Remind passing ships to drive carefully, assist in search and rescue, and organize on-site traffic in search and rescue waters to prevent secondary accidents.

　　At present, the search and rescue site has southerly winds of magnitude 5, gusts of magnitude 6 to 7, and wave heights of 0.8 to 2 meters. In the next step, the Hainan Provincial Maritime Search and Rescue Center will strengthen communication and coordination with all rescue forces, dynamically adjust the search and rescue plan according to changes in the weather and sea conditions in the sea area where the incident occurred, and make every effort to search and rescue the missing persons on the "Yuenan Aoyu 36062" ship. (Headquarters reporter Zhu Yongwei An)