Search underway for missing crew in East China Sea

Maritime authorities in East China's Zhejiang province are sparing no effort in searching for four missing crew members and probing the cause of a shipwreck in the sea off Zhoushan in eastern Zhejiang on Sunday, local authorities said.

Among the initial 20 missing crew, 12 of the 16 found were dead, with four still missing after the fishing vessel, Suqiyu03434, capsized early Sunday morning.

The Zhejiang provincial maritime search and rescue center received a report at 4:28 am on Sunday that the vessel, which was registered in neighboring Jiangsu province, capsized about 100 nautical miles east of Zhujiajian in the city of Zhoushan, Zhejiang. The Zhejiang provincial Emergency Management Bureau confirmed later that there were 20 people onboard the boat.

Among the 16 recovered, 12 were dead, the Zhejiang Maritime Safety Administration confirmed at about 3 pm Sunday.

As of 1 pm Sunday, a total 10 maritime ships, one helicopter and one fixed-wing plane have been dispatched to the area where the shipwreck happened, with another 20 shipping vessels nearby area joining the search and rescue efforts.

Zhoushan, a prefecture-level island city in Zhejiang, is near where the Yangtze River flows into the East China Sea. Composed of 1,390 islands, it covers 22,200 square kilometers, among which 20,800 sq km are sea. It is well-known both as a tourist destination and a hub of rich fishery resources.