President Xi Jinping today called for all-out efforts to rescue the Chinese tourists onboard a boat which capsized off the coast of Malaysia.
Xi asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Chinese Embassy in Malaysia to maintain close contact and cooperation with authorities of Malaysia, and China's transport and tourism authorities to activate emergency measures immediately to assist the rescue mission.
The Chinese embassy in Kuala Lumpur said today they were informed by the Malaysian Navy that five people, including a child were rescued from a sunken boat, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
However, hours after the President's appeal, Shahidan Kassim, a minister in Malaysian Prime Minister's Department, said that as many as 25 Chinese have been found alive.
The boat, with 31 people onboard, mostly Chinese tourists, was sailing from Kota Kinabalu to Pulau Mengalum, a popular tourist island some 60 km to the west, when it capsized last night.
Malaysia had deployed search and rescue ships and helicopters after receiving a call about the boat's disappearance yesterday.
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