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Two Chinese sailors were admitted in UC San Diego Medical Center approximately at 8 p. m. Monday night for further treatment after their boat caught fire and sank in waters off Mexico. Both of them are in stable condition, a doctor told the press Tuesday.
Raul Coimbra, surgeon in chief in UC San Diego Medical Center, said once "they were admitted to our level on trauma center, they evaluated by a team of multi-disciplinary professionals including trauma surgeons, burn surgeons, nurses."
They are suffering Second and Third degreed burns, but "no traumatic injuries were found," Coimbra said.
He also said that they sustain non life threaten burns. "On individual sustains approximately 17 to 18 percent total body surface area burn, the second individual suffer smaller burns approximately 8 percent of his total body surface area."
The patients need to be evaluated constantly at burn ICU before doctors making the decision whether or not the sailors need surgery versus just wound care.
"If they require surgery they will stay here a little longer, if they don't they will probably go home a lot sooner," Coimbra said.
A Chinese fishing boat caught fire and sank in the Pacific Ocean on Friday. Six fishermen went missing while 11 others escaped aboard a life raft, which was later spotted by a Venezuelan fishing boat about 1,100 nautical miles off Mexico's western coast.
A call for help was sent to the U.S. Air Force Rescue Coordination Center, and rescuers arrived Saturday afternoon. The operation continued through the early hours of Sunday, but two of the rescued died of their injuries.
The two injured were then transported by the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Coast Guard from the Venezuelan vessel to UCSD Medical Center. Seven others were said to be in good condition and were transferred to another Chinese fishing ship to return to China.
