Rescuers scour South China Sea for 23 missing after Vietnamese vessel sinks

World chinavietnam Rescuers scour South China Sea for 23 missing after Vietnamese vessel sinks A Vietnamese vessel sank after encountering distress in waters near Yongshu Reef in the Nansha Islands in the #SouthChinaSea, with 39 people rescued so far, authorities of #China's Sansha City said. All those rescued are Vietnamese nationals from the distressed vessel "Khoi… pic.twitter.com/H4cGgrReY0— CCTV Asia Pacific (@CCTVAsiaPacific) July 26, 2026 newsroom 26/07/2026 FacebookXWhatsAppEmailPrintViber Rescuers were searching on Sunday for 23 people missing after a Vietnamese ship sank in the busy waterway of the South China Sea, while 39 were pulled from the waters, China’s state broadcaster CCTV said. Authorities in the southern province of Hainan said the cargo vessel Khoi Nguyen 18, with 62 Vietnamese nationals aboard, ran into distress in waters near Fiery Cross Reef, CCTV added. A distress flare from the vessel was first spotted by a Chinese rescue ship, the Nanhai Jiu 115, on Saturday evening, CCTV said. Six Chinese vessels, a rescue helicopter, and a Vietnamese vessel joined the search and rescue effort at the site, it said. The Vietnamese-registered vessel is nearly 70 m (230 ft) long with a gross tonnage of 999 tons. The area around the reef is part of the disputed Spratly Islands, which China calls the Nansha Islands, a group of highly contested reefs, islets, and atolls in the resource-rich South China Sea. China claims sovereignty over almost the entire strategic waterway, including the Spratlys, where it has built runways and militarised artificial islands. But Beijing’s sweeping claims overlap with those of Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Brunei. (Reuters) Subscribe to our Newsletter Follow en.philenews on Google News and be the first to know all the news about Cyprus and the world. Latest News Two arrested after 21-year-old injured in Limassol fight Electrical fault sparks house fire near Akaki Wildfires force evacuations outside Bordeaux as Spanish blazes cause first death UN chief’s visit delays Cyprus cabinet reshuffle as DIKO talks continue New British PM will be judged by his results, Cypriot diaspora president says Nine arrested in nationwide police operations Achilles Shield brings Greece, Cyprus and Israel closer on defence