Man dies, two missing after fishing boat catches fire off Sai Kung

^{A mainland fishing boat caught fire near Hong Kong waters. The Hong Kong side assisted in rescuing one person.  Photo: Government Flying Service}

One man died and a rescue operation was under way for at least two others who went missing after a mainland fishing vessel caught fire and capsized just outside Hong Kong waters off Sai Kung Yesterday morning (26/12).

Ten mainland crew members on board jumped into the sea in the severe cold to escape. The Hong Kong Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre received notification from the mainland authorities and assisted in the rescue, along with their mainland counterparts. Seven people were rescued by the mainland vessel, one from the sea by helicopter, but was certified dead after being returned to Hong Kong. The fishing boat in the accident sank and two crew members are still missing. Search and rescue operations continue

The mainland fishing vessel involved in the incident carried a total of ten crew members. At about 11:00 am yesterday, the fishing vessel, originating from the mainland, passed through waters about five nautical miles off Saigon. A fire broke out on the ship and the crew called mainland and Hong Kong emergency services for help. Owing to the violent fire and a lot of smoke, everyone on board jumped into the sea in the severe cold to escape.

The local marine police and firefighters rushed to the scene to aid the rescue. A fireboat spayed water at the burning fishing boat but it was so severely burned that it sank. A Government Flying Service team rescued seven people from the mainland rescue boat having received a call for help around 11:10 am.

The wind speed at the scene was reported to be 20 kilometres per hour, the waves were 4 metres, and the water temperature was 20 degrees Celsius. The flight service team was sent to search for the remaining three missing crew members. The flight service team dispatched three H175 helicopters and a Challenger 605 fixed-wing aircraft to assist. The first H175 helicopter arrived at the scene at 11:50 am to confirm the location of the ship involved. The helicopter rescue personnel found a crew member floating and struggling in the big waves after 13 minutes. A spokesman stated that the crew immediately lifted the injured crew onto the helicopter and gave first aid to the crew who was in a coma at the time. The crew was then taken to the apron of Wan Chai and transferred by ambulance to Ruttonjee Hospital. However, it was confirmed after the rescue that he was dead. The Government Flying Service continued the search and rescue this morning.