Search and rescue teams were still scouring the South China Sea on Tuesday in hopes of finding 14 people unaccounted for after a Vietnamese cargo ship went down over the weekend, with the survivor count climbing to 48.
The multinational rescue effort involves crews from Vietnam, the Philippines, and China working together to locate those still missing following Saturday’s sinking.
Vietnamese officials announced Monday that three additional survivors had been pulled to safety, bringing the total rescued to 48 out of the 62 people who were aboard when the ship went down. No further details about those rescues were provided.
The cargo ship, identified as the Khoi Nguyen 18, sank late Saturday in the vicinity of Fiery Cross Reef — a Chinese-constructed island and military installation located in the disputed Spratly Islands.
According to Vietnam’s Foreign Ministry, the vessel was operating in rough weather conditions in the East Sea when it sank. Officials said all 48 rescued individuals had been handed over to Vietnamese authorities, who are providing medical treatment before returning them to the mainland.
Vietnam said it launched rescue operations immediately and worked in close coordination with Chinese rescue ships, while helicopters and additional vessels in the area also participated in the search effort.
The Philippine Coast Guard, which sent a patrol vessel and an aircraft to assist after Vietnam requested help, said the mission was being conducted in accordance with international maritime agreements and a bilateral cooperation arrangement with Vietnam.
The South China Sea has been an area of growing tension, with China increasingly asserting sweeping territorial claims over nearly the entire waterway. Roughly $5 trillion worth of global trade passes through the sea each year, and the region is also thought to hold enormous reserves of oil and gas beneath its waters.
In addition to China and the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan all have competing claims to portions of the strategically vital sea route.
