Emergency teams are currently looking for 23 individuals after a Vietnamese cargo ship went down in the South China Sea. Chinese state media confirmed that the vessel, named Khoi Nguyen 18, had 62 people on board when it faced difficulties near the area identified as Yongshu Reef or Fiery Cross Reef. Reports from CCTV indicate that 39 individuals have been saved so far.
The distress alert was initially noted by a Chinese rescue boat just before 6:30 pm on Saturday. Current efforts involve a coordinated search by six Chinese ships, one rescue helicopter, and a Vietnamese boat. According to the Hainan provincial authorities, the sunken ship was a Vietnamese-registered vessel stretching nearly 70 metres.
Vietnam’s foreign ministry has not yet issued a statement regarding the incident. The location of the accident falls within the South China Sea, a region characterized by overlapping territorial claims from several nations, including Vietnam, China, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan.
