11 rescued from sinking trawler

11 fishermen from China were rescued from the sinking "Min Long Yu 66822" in strong winds in the Taiwan Strait off the coast of Fujian province on Feb 6, 2017, by the Fujian Maritime Search and Rescue team. The Fujian Maritime Search and Rescue centre received a notification at around 3.20 p.m. that the ship was listing to starboard and gradually sinking some 73 nautical miles off the coast. The SAR Center started contingency plans to quickly contact the distressed fishermen and asked them to put on their life jackets and take safety measures. They dispatched a rescue team to the area along with helicopters. The Fujian Maritime Search and Rescue centre also notified Taipei Search and Rescue Association in Taiwan to coordinate a rescue operation. At 3.53 p.m., two helicopters from Xiamen were dispatched and reached the site of the sinking ship within half an hour. The 11 fishermen were rescued in two batches. One had a minor injury while the rest of the crew had no injuries. The rescued fishermen were taken to Xiamen Gaoqi Airport. At 7 p.m. the rescued fishermen started helping the Ministry of Transport with their investigations.