China is working with Nicaragua on identifying the five people
killed in a ship collision involving illegal Chinese immigrants,
according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
It was reported that a ship carrying dozens of illegal Chinese
immigrants collided with another vessel near Nicaragua on May 25,
said a statement posted on the Foreign Ministry Web site
(www.fmprc.gov.cn).
Five people, whose citizenship cannot be identified, died, while
38 of the survivors were confirmed to be illegal Chinese
immigrants, the statement said, citing Nicaraguan sources.
China's Foreign Ministry had tried various means to confirm the
information since the accident took place, the statement said.
"However, we have not confirmed whether the dead are Chinese or
not so far," the statement said.
As China and Nicaragua had no diplomatic relations, the Chinese
Embassy in Mexico had been working with the Nicaraguan side to
properly resolve the issue, the statement said.
(Xinhua News Agency June 4, 2007)
