Search Continues for Missing in South China Sea

Rescue workers are continuing to search for 23 missing crew members of a Vietnamese cargo ship that sank in the South China Sea. According to China's state-run television network CCTV, 39 people have been rescued from the water so far.

The ship Khoi Nguyen 18, with 62 Vietnamese citizens on board, ran into trouble near Fiery Cross Reef in the Spratly Islands. A distress signal from the vessel was detected on Saturday evening by the Chinese rescue ship Nanhai Jiu 115.

Six Chinese vessels, a rescue helicopter and a Vietnamese ship joined the search and rescue operation. The Vietnamese vessel, registered in Vietnam, is nearly 70m long and has a gross tonnage of 999 metric tons.

The incident took place in the Spratly Islands, which are the subject of long-standing territorial disputes. China claims nearly the entire South China Sea, including this archipelago, where it has built artificial islands and military infrastructure. Its claims overlap with those of Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei.

(Reuters, sab)