The Chinese government announced that search and rescue operations are ongoing for missing crew members from a Vietnamese cargo ship that sank in the South China Sea.

During a regular briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian stated, "On the 25th, China's Nanhai 115 rescue ship found and rescued 29 crew members of the distressed Vietnamese cargo ship in waters near the Nansha Islands (the Chinese term for the Spratly Islands)." He added, "China immediately dispatched multiple ships and helicopters to carry out continuous rescue operations, and so far, a total of 47 Vietnamese crew members have been successfully rescued."

Lin explained, "According to current information, the Vietnamese vessel sank on the night of the 24th, and there were a total of 62 crew members on board," adding, "Some crew members remain missing, and search and rescue operations are still underway."

Based on the Chinese government's explanation, a total of 15 people are currently missing while rescue operations continue.

When asked whether tensions arose because the sinking occurred near the Spratly Islands, a territorial dispute zone involving China, the Philippines, and Vietnam, Lin did not give a direct answer. Instead, he remarked, "After the Vietnamese vessel fell into distress, China immediately launched rescue operations, and Vietnam has expressed its gratitude for this."

According to China Central Television (CCTV) and the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the sunken vessel is the Vietnamese cargo ship Khoi Nguyen 18, which sank on the night of the 24th after encountering severe weather near Fiery Cross Reef (known as Yongshu Reef in China) in the Spratly Islands of the South China Sea.

China received the distress signal at around 6:30 PM on the 25th, prompting rescue teams from both countries—including six Chinese ships, one rescue helicopter, and one Vietnamese ship—to deploy for rescue operations.

(Photo: Capture from Weibo, Yonhap News)