At 9:00 am on September 11, the Hainan Danzhou Municipal Bureau of China Coast Guard received a call saying that a fishing ship capsized near Xiaochan Reef in Paipu Town of Danzhou City. It was urgent and Coast Guard rescue was needed.

The Bureau immediately actuated the emergency rescue plan and assigned two Coast Guard vessels near the target sea area to provide assistance. At 9:10 am, the vessels arrived along with other rescue ships nearby. Primary check showed that there was nobody inside the capsized ship, so they planned to moor the ship, let local rescue ships turn it over with mechanical devices, and then deal with it.

Coast Guard officers good at swimming were assigned to moor the capsized ship, but while they jumped onto the ship, they heard knocking sounds inside, so they responded, told the trapped personnel to stay calm, and reported to the law enforcement vessel immediately. Learning about this new situation, the Coast Guard authorities changed the plan, divided work, and contacted 120 to wait on the coast. After careful considerations, they decided to keep the ship steady and break its bottom.

The Coast Guard officers knocked on the capsized ship to comfort the people trapped inside. When they were calm and clearly positioned, the officers used the fire ax, kitchen knife and saw to tear open the ship bottom, breaking three axes and several saws in the process. Thanks to the officers’ unremitting efforts, the 2 people trapped inside the capsized ship (1 male, 1 female) were finally brought out and transferred to the Coast Guard vessel. After primary treatment, the woman resumed vital signs and became conscious again, but the man lost spontaneous breath. The officers then transported them to the Nansi Wharf in Baimajing and handed them over to the 120 Emergency Center.

It is learned that the man and the woman were a couple. They set out from Paipu Port for fishing at 3:00 am on September 11, but their ship was hit by a cargo ship and capsized at 6:00 am, when they were in the cabin and couldn’t get out in time. After the ship capsized, there was still a little air in the cabin. The husband tried to find a way out but was unfortunately drowned. The case is under further investigation.