Search continues for fishermen

Rescue work continued on Monday for 48 fishermen still missing in rough seas near the Xisha Islands group, after three fishing boats sank during Typhoon Wutip in the South China Sea on Sept 29.

Rescuers had recovered 40 fishermen, including 14 confirmed fatalities as of Sunday, with 48 still missing, according to the latest figures released by the Hainan Maritime Safety Administration.

The search in the following days will focus on isolated islands as no signs of survivors were detected in the main search area in the past days, the administration said in a statement on Sunday.

It also asked passing ships to pay attention to distress calls.

The three boats, all registered in Taishan, Guangdong province, were lost in the afternoon of Sept 29 with 88 fishermen aboard near Shanhu Island of the Xisha Islands group, about 330 kilometers from China's southernmost Hainan province.

Yang Jingye, deputy director of the Taishan City Ocean and Fishery Bureau, said at a news conference on Sept 30 that Wutip strengthened from a tropical storm into a typhoon so quickly that the three boats were unable to reach safe harbor.

The Beijing News said one survivor, who was among the first fishermen saved, swam for seven hours to reach shore and reported to local maritime officials.

Li Changyou, another fisherman who survived, said from his hospital bed in Sanya, Hainan province, that the crew did not have enough time to put on survival gear.

"I could only hold onto a life jacket and drift more than two hours until a rescue ship found me and the others," Li said, adding he had never seen such a strong typhoon in his 30 years at sea.

Luo Guanru, deputy director of Taishan City Civil Affairs Bureau, said a special work team had been formed to comfort the victims' families.

On Monday, the team was sent to provide services including psychological counseling and financial support.

Xu Yun, deputy secretary-general of the Hainan provincial government, described the rescue as "unprecedented" in the area covered and the range of rescuers from the navy, the Ministry of Transport, the State Oceanic Administration, the Ministry of Agriculture and authorities from Hong Kong, Guangdong and Hainan.

As of Sunday, more than 175 ship rescue missions and 47 flights had searched water areas of 136,100 square kilometers, according to the Hainan Maritime Safety Administration.

The Chinese navy's South China Sea Fleet has sent seven warships, one helicopter and 10 rescue teams to search the waters near the scene, Xinhua News Agency reported.

China has experienced a harsh typhoon season this year with nine typhoons hitting the country since July, about three more than the average for the past two decades, according to the National Meteorological Center.