Fate of 17 missing crew members of Chinese boat unknown

The fate of the 17 crew members of a Chinese fishing boat reported missing after the boat capsized in the East China Sea following a collision with a Maltese ship remains uncertain, even as the Chinese navy today carried out a search and rescue mission.
Seven vessels of the Chinese Navy's Donghai Fleet have combed the waters with an area of 1,200 square nautical miles today but without success, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
The accident happened in the waters about 80 nautical miles away from Ningbo port of east China's Zhejiang Province early yesterday.
An initial investigation showed the fishing boat from Shandong Province, with 19 on board, was suspectedly hit by the Maltese ship. Two crew members were saved yesterday.

The navy and civilian search teams found floating life jackets and mattresses though they did not find any crew member, Li Qingyin, captain of the Quanzhou, one of the navy vessels in the search, said over the phone.