Beijing, May 17 (IANS): Chinese President Xi Jinping has demanded all-out efforts to rescue the 39 people who went missing after a deep-sea fishing vessel capsized in the Indian Ocean.

Xi gave the direction following the accident that occurred at around 3 a.m. on Tuesday, urging relevant departments to activate the emergency response mechanism immediately, reports Xinhua news agency.

The missing persons comprised including 17 Chinese mariners, 17 Indonesians and five Filipinos.

Xi ordered efforts to further strengthen the investigation and early warning of potential safety risks in deep-sea operations to ensure the safety of life and property.

Premier Li Qiang has also urged all-out efforts to reduce casualties and strengthen safety management of fishing vessels at sea to ensure safe maritime transport and production.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the Ministry of Transport and Shandong province have activated emergency response mechanism to organise the rescue work.

On-site rescue is underway.