14 bodies found on Chinese fishing boat in distress in Indian Ocean

The Sri Lankan navy said on Thursday that it had found 14 bodies inside the Chinese fishing boat Lu Peng Yuan Yu 028 that capsized last week. The announcement came a day after a preliminary investigation by China's Ministry of Transport concluded that all 39 people on board had died, AFP reported.

“Due to decomposition and potential health risks from contaminated waters coupled with limited protective gear, recovery of the bodies would be extremely hazardous,” the Sri Lankan navy said.

Chinese fishing vessel Lu Peng Yuan Yu 028

Sri Lankan authorities have mapped the location of the bodies inside the ship and handed them over to Chinese authorities. The nationalities of the bodies have not yet been determined. The ship is owned by Penglai Jinglu Fisheries Company, one of China's major state-owned fishing companies.

In a separate statement, China's Ministry of Transport said rescuers had searched an area of about 64,000 square kilometres and "found no signs of survivors".

Previously, on May 16, the Lu Peng Yuan Yu 028 capsized due to Storm Fabian in the sea area 5,000 km west of Perth (Australia). At that time, the ship was carrying 17 Chinese, 17 Indonesian citizens and 5 Filipinos. However, severe weather hindered rescue efforts. The Joint Rescue Coordination Center (JRCC) in Canberra (Australia) said that survival conditions on the ship at that time were "challenging".

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