Rescue work continued on Monday for 48 fishermen still missing in rough seas near the Xisha Islands group, after three fishing boats sank during Typhoon Wutip in the South China Sea on Sept 29.

Rescuers had recovered 40 fishermen, including 14 confirmed fatalities as of Sunday, with 48 still missing, according to the latest figures released by the Hainan Maritime Safety Administration.

The search in the following days will focus on isolated islands as no signs of survivors were detected in the main search area in the past days, the administration said in a statement on Sunday.