Xu Yan, a spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo said Friday that the other eight Chinese people on board the trawler, the Fuyuanyu 225, were rescued by nearby fishing trawler Fuyuanyu 226 after the attack in the early hours of Thursday morning.

The eight have received medical treatment in a local hospital in the Sri Lanka's Northeastern port city of Trincomalee, said Xu, adding that embassy officials had rushed to the city.

According to Xu, the two Chinese trawlers were fishing in the permitted area when the incident took place.

Another two Sri Lankans were missing and one was rescued, said Xu.

It is not clear what prompted the attack. A Xinhua News Agency report Friday quoted a Sri Lankan defence official as saying that the ship was sunk after a suspected hit by the Tamil Tiger rebels.

But Xu refused to be drawn on this speculation, stressing that an investigation into the incident was still taking place.

The Chinese Embassy Friday contacted the Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry, urging it, together with other relevant departments to "take actions to search and rescue for the missing fishermen and to investigate the matter.''

However, the chances of finding 15 missing fishermen are remote.

Su Long from China Fujian Pelagic Fishery Group Company, the trawlers' owner, said a company representative will leave for Sri Lanka tomorrow.

"There is little chance that the 15 people would have survived,'' said Su, adding that the fishermen's families had already been informed.

The company's agent in Sri Lanka has already contacted the country's navy to call for a rescue effort and an investigation into the tragedy, said Su.

There was no immediate comment from the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

(China Daily March 22, 2003)