An emergency rescuing team has disclosed that at least 17 persons conveyed in a ship are missing after it sank in the sea when faced with devastating storm in Vietnam.
The authorities informed that the Vietnamese cargo ship carrying 62 people sank during the devastating weather condition, the authorities and fishing vessels actively searching for the unfound people, according to the foreign ministry spokesperson, Pham Hang.
Hang said that the Vessel Khoi Nguyen 18 ship went into the South China Sea on Sunday at about 12 noon, leading to the country’s rescuers, along with the support of Chinese rescue forces arriving the scene with ships and helicopters which led to the rescued 45 of the 62 passengers.
He added they the ship encountered trouble near Yongshu Reef, also known as Fiery Cross Reef, in the Spratly archipelago, leading to a distress signal calling for immediate intervention.
In a separate incident on Friday, another Vietnamese vessel sank amid rough seas in the area of the Spratly Islands, with 33 fishermen rescued and three missing, Vietnamese state media relayed yesterday.
The fishing vessel encountered strong winds, took on water and sank on Friday morning, according to the state-run Tuoi Tre News site, with other fishing vessels in the area mobilised to aid the rescue.
The rescued victims were taken to Da Tay, or West Reef, an atoll under Vietnamese control that is part of the Spratlys, for medical care and were in stable condition.
More than 25 per cent of all global trade passed through the vital South China Sea in 2024, according to the Centre for Strategic and International Studies.
Its islands and reefs are coveted by China and Southeast Asian nations situated around the strategic sea.
Beijing has expanded reefs it controls in the Spratlys, and set up air bases, naval facilities and other installations, including landing strips able to accommodate military planes.
Vietnam, the Philippines and Malaysia have asserted their own claims in the area by stationing troops in the Spratlys and building airstrips there since the 1970s.