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Rescue teams are searching for 23 people after a Vietnamese cargo ship carrying 62 crew members sank in the South China Sea, according to Chinese state media.
State broadcaster CCTV reported on Sunday that 39 crew members had been rescued after the vessel, Khoi Nguyen 18, encountered trouble near Yongshu Reef, also known as Fiery Cross Reef.
China’s state news agency Xinhua said a Chinese rescue vessel detected what was believed to be a distress signal from the ship shortly before 6:30 p.m. local time on Saturday.
The report said six Chinese vessels, a rescue helicopter and one Vietnamese vessel have been deployed to search for the missing crew.
Authorities in China’s Hainan province identified the Khoi Nguyen 18 as a Vietnamese-registered cargo vessel measuring just under 70 metres in length.
The sinking occurred in the disputed South China Sea, where Beijing claims almost the entire waterway despite a 2016 international tribunal ruling that rejected the legal basis for its expansive claim.
Vietnam, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan also claim parts of the resource-rich maritime region, including the Spratly Islands, which are believed to hold significant oil and gas reserves.
