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Vietnamese cargo ship sinks in South China Sea, 17 sailors missing
The Khoi Nguyen 18 sank near Fiery Cross Reef during the typhoon season, after distress signals were detected by a Chinese salvage vessel.
Search and rescue teams continued on Sunday for 17 missing sailors after a Vietnamese cargo vessel sank in the South China Sea, according to Chinese state media cited by SCMP Economy.
The Khoi Nguyen 18 had 62 crew members on board when it ran into difficulty and sank near Fiery Cross Reef in the Spratly Islands on Saturday evening. As of Sunday afternoon, 45 survivors had been rescued and the search for the remaining crew was still under way, CCTV reported.
SCMP Economy reported that all people aboard were Vietnamese nationals. Vietnam’s foreign ministry said the vessel sank while operating in bad weather, and said the search was being carried out with assistance from Chinese rescue forces, using ships and helicopters, along with nearby vessels.
SCMP Economy added that the rescue began around 6:25pm Beijing time after the Chinese salvage vessel Nanhai Jiu 115 spotted distress signals. The Chinese ship rescued 29 people from a life raft about half an hour later, other Chinese rescue ships picked up a raft with seven more later on Saturday, and a helicopter saved two additional people the following morning, with changing weather and sea conditions raising rescue difficulty.