Fishermen on a boat who are left stranded by Typhoon Hagibis wait to get aid from maritime rescue center near the Xisha and Nansha Island groups in the South China Sea November 27, 2007. [Xinhua]
 

A maritime rescue helicopter airdrops bottled water to a fisherman left stranded by Typhoon Hagibis on the Xisha and Nansha Island groups in the South China Sea November 27, 2007. [Xinhua]
 

A maritime rescue helicopter airdrops bottled water to fishermen left stranded by Typhoon Hagibis on the Xisha and Nansha Island groups in the South China Sea November 27, 2007. [Xinhua]

China's maritime rescue center has dispatched three rescue vessels and a helicopter to help more than 760 fishermen left stranded by Typhoon Hagibis in the waters off the Xisha and Nansha island groups.

As of noon Tuesday, 323 people in and around Xisha were said to be out of danger after bottled mineral water and food were airdropped to them from the helicopter, according to a news release issued by the Ministry of Communications.

It said 233 fishermen from Qionghai in Hainan Province aboard 19 boats and 90 people who live on the small islands had been stranded for more than 10 days, with both drinking water and food in short supply.

The rescue vessel Nanhaijiu 199, carrying 4 tons of rice and 300 tons of water, is currently en route to the area.

In the waters off the Nansha islands, the Nanhaijiu 112 yesterday picked up seven stranded Vietnamese fishermen, the ministry said.

Another rescue vessel, the Nanhaijiu 111, which is carrying 2.5 tons of rice, 600 kg of flour and large supplies of water, was expected to reach the area in the early hours of today.

The ministry said more than 400 fishermen from Qionghai and 29 from the Philippines were stranded aboard 15 boats in the Nansha area.

Chinese fishermen picked up the Filipinos after their vessel sank last Thursday while trying to moor near a reef to escape the storm.

Fifty-five people are believed to have been on board the stricken vessel, 26 of whom are still missing.

The two rescue vessels heading to Nansha set off on Friday, but high winds and huge waves forced them to moor temporarily at nearby reefs, an official with the China Rescue and Salvage Bureau surnamed Chen, said.

The ministry said the typhoon had now passed and winds around the Nansha islands had dropped.

(China Daily, November 28, 2007)