Chinese state media reported that rescue workers were searching for 23 people missing after a Vietnamese ship sank in the South China Sea on Sunday.
Authorities in the Chinese island province of Hainan said the cargo ship Khoi Nguyen 18 ran into trouble near Yongshu Reef, also known as Fiery Cross Reef, state broadcaster CCTV said.
There were 62 crew members on board and 39 people were rescued from the water.
What do we know about drowning?
A Chinese rescue ship, Nanhai Jiu 115, first spotted a distressing blaze from the ship just before 6:30 pm Saturday (1030 GMT).
According to state news agency Xinhua, the Khoi Nguyen 18 is a Vietnamese-registered ship measuring just under 70 meters (230 feet) long.
It said six Chinese ships, a rescue helicopter and a Vietnamese ship were involved in the search and rescue operation.
Territorial dispute in the South China Sea
Beijing claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, despite a 2016 international ruling initiated by the Philippines against China that has no legal basis for its claim.
One of the most disputed areas is the Spratly Islands, which China calls the Nansha Islands, where China has built runways and militarized artificial islands.
But Beijing’s sweeping claims on the busy waterway match those of other countries, including Vietnam, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan.
Edited by: Kieran Burke
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