SAN DIEGO (AP) - U.S. Air Force rescuers on Monday were stabilizing two badly burned Chinese fishermen aboard a fishing vessel hundreds of miles off Mexico's Pacific coast before evacuating them by helicopter.
The two were among 17 Chinese crew members believed aboard a fishing vessel that caught fire and sank in the Pacific Ocean. Two died from burn injuries, seven were determined to be in good condition and six are believed missing, said Maj. Sarah Schwennesen of Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson.
A Venezuelan fishing vessel spotted a life raft with 11 fishermen on Friday and sent a call for help.
Responding to the call, airmen from the Air Force's 563rd Rescue Group parachuted into the water on Saturday afternoon and used inflatable boats to reach the Venezuelan vessel.
Rescuers treated the two burn victims, stabilizing them enough that they can be hoisted into helicopters, transferred to Cabo San Lucas, the closest city in Mexico, and then taken to a hospital in San Diego.
Schwennesen said Monday afternoon that she was awaiting word on when the evacuation would begin. Language barriers hampered communication between crews and officials, slowing new details on what happened out at sea, she said.
The two bodies and seven crew members were transferred to a Chinese-flagged vessel in the area to be taken home, Schwennesen said.
It was unclear what caused the fire aboard the Chinese fishing vessel before it sank more than 1,000 miles off Mexico's Baja peninsula, Air Force and Coast Guard officials said.
The officials said neither of their branches was searching for the six fishermen believed to be missing and they did not know who else would be looking.