Disasters & Incidents
Search continues for 23 missing after Vietnamese ship sinks in South China Sea
Rescuers are searching for 23 missing people after a Vietnamese ship carrying 62 crew members sank in the South China Sea, Chinese state media reported Sunday morning.
Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said the cargo vessel Khoi Nguyen 18 encountered trouble near Yongshu Reef, also known as Fiery Cross Reef. It said 39 people had been rescued.
State news agency Xinhua said a Chinese rescue vessel first spotted what was believed to be a distress signal from the endangered ship shortly before 6:30 pm on Saturday, or 1030 GMT.
Xinhua said six Chinese vessels, a rescue helicopter and one Vietnamese vessel were carrying out search and rescue work in the area.
According to authorities in the Chinese island province of Hainan, the Khoi Nguyen 18 is a Vietnamese-registered ship measuring just under 70 metres in length, Xinhua reported.
Vietnam's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to AFP's request for comment.
Beijing claims almost all of the South China Sea, although an international ruling said that claim has no legal basis. Vietnam, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan also have claims in parts of the waterway, including the Spratly Islands, which the source described as believed to hold large oil and gas resources.
Update
Chinese state news agency Xinhua said a Chinese rescue vessel first spotted what was believed to be a distress signal shortly before 6:30 pm on Saturday, or 1030 GMT.
Xinhua said six Chinese vessels, a rescue helicopter and one Vietnamese vessel were involved in the search and rescue operation.
Authorities in Hainan described the Khoi Nguyen 18 as a Vietnamese-registered ship measuring just under 70 metres in length.
Vietnam's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to AFP's request for comment.
The source added context about competing claims in the South China Sea and the Spratly Islands.
Source note: AFP news report published on 26 July 2026 at 04:52:00 UTC.
Update
The vessel was identified as the cargo ship Khoi Nguyen 18.
Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported that the ship was carrying 62 crew members.
CCTV reported that 39 people had been rescued.
The ship encountered trouble near Yongshu Reef, also known as Fiery Cross Reef.
Rescuers were searching for the missing people on Sunday morning.
Source note: AFP news report published on 26 July 2026 at 04:28:29 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
The source reports that a distress signal was believed to have been spotted; it does not state that the signal was independently confirmed.
The source does not give a cause for the ship sinking.
Source
AFP news report published on .