TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President of China Xi Jinping ordered a maximum search and rescue effort of boat crew members, including 17 Indonesian nationals, who went missing after a Chinese fishing boat Lupeng Yuanyu 028 capsized in the Indian Ocean on Tuesday, May 16.

Xi Jinping urged related departments to activate emergency mechanisms to ensure the safety of the ship's crew, Xinhua reported on Wednesday, May 17.

Lupeng Yuanyu 028 fishing boat, owned by Penglai Jinglu Fishery based in Shandong, capsized in the Indian Ocean about 5,000 kilometers west of Perth, Australia, on Tuesday morning. Thirty-nine crew members went missing, which include 17 Chinese, 17 Indonesians, and five Philippines.

Until Wednesday noon, the SAR team had yet to find a victim.

Director of Indonesian National Protection, Judha Nugraha, in a written statement on Wednesday, May 17, stated that his side and the national SAR team had communicated this matter with Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) as the location of the sinking vessel was at Australia's SAR coordination.

According to Judha, Australia deployed airplanes and ships and also asked for help from commercial boats sailing near the location. “Based on AMSA information, the boat has been found capsized. The SAR operation continues to search for the crew members," he said.

Yudono Yanuar

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