HONG KONG, July 26 – Rescuers are searching for 17 people who remain missing after a Vietnamese ship sank in the busy waters of the South China Sea. Since Saturday night, 45 individuals have been rescued, according to China’s state broadcaster CCTV.
Authorities stated that the cargo vessel Khoi Nguyen 18, which carried 62 Vietnamese nationals, encountered trouble near Fiery Cross Reef, as reported by CCTV.
The distress signal from the ship was first seen by a Chinese rescue vessel, the Nanhai Jiu 115, on Saturday evening, CCTV reported.
This Chinese ship found a life raft with 29 people approximately 38 nautical miles north of Fiery Cross Reef. Two additional rescue missions have helped raise the total number of recoveries to 45.
Two rescue boats and one helicopter are currently involved in the search for the remaining 17 individuals.
The Vietnamese-registered vessel is close to 70 meters (230 feet) long with a gross tonnage of 999 metric tons.
Vietnam's foreign ministry stated that as soon as the incident occurred, local authorities worked closely and quickly arrived at the location.
“Vietnam conducted search and rescue operations, with assistance from Chinese forces and ships in the area,” a spokesperson told local media, expressing gratitude for China’s support.
The region around the reef is part of the disputed Spratly Islands, known as the Nansha Islands in China. This area consists of contested reefs, islets, and atolls rich in resources in the South China Sea.
China claims almost all of this strategic waterway, including the Spratlys, where it has built runways and militarized islands.
These claims overlap with those of Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Brunei.