Hainan authorities say the cargo ship Khoi Nguyen 18, with 62 Vietnamese nationals on board, ran into distress in the waters near Fiery Cross Reef, according to a CCTV report.
HONG KONG – Rescuers were searching for 23 people missing on Sunday, July 23, after a Vietnamese ship sank in a busy South China Sea channel, with 39 rescued, China’s state broadcaster CCTV said.
Authorities in the southern province of Hainan said the cargo ship Khoi Nguyen 18, with 62 Vietnamese nationals on board, ran into distress in the waters near Fiery Cross Reef, CCTV added.
The heavy fire from the ship was first spotted by the Chinese rescue ship, Nanhai Jiu 115, on Saturday evening, CCTV said.
Six Chinese ships, a rescue helicopter, and a Vietnamese ship joined search and rescue efforts at the site, it said.
The Vietnam-registered ship is about 70 m (230 ft) long and weighs 999 tons.
The area around the reef is part of the disputed Spratly Islands, which China calls the Nansha Islands, a group of disputed rocks, islands and islets in the resource-rich South China Sea.
China claims sovereignty over almost the entire strategic waterway, including the Spratlys, where it has built airstrips and artificial military islands.
But Beijing’s major claims overlap with those of Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei. – Rappler.com
