According to state broadcaster CCTV, the cargo ship “Khoi Nguyen 18” got into trouble near Yongshu Reef. It is reported that 39 people were rescued.
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State news agency Xinhua reported that a Chinese rescue vessel detected the first distress signal from the sinking ship on Saturday, shortly before 6:30 PM local time (1:30 PM Lithuanian time).
According to Xinhua, six Chinese vessels, a rescue helicopter, and one Vietnamese vessel are participating in the search and rescue operation in the area.
According to officials from China’s Hainan province, “Khoi Nguyen 18” is a vessel registered in the Vietnamese registry, with a length of just under 70 meters, Xinhua added.
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The Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not yet responded to AFP’s request for comment on the situation.
Beijing claims almost the entire territory of the South China Sea, despite an international court ruling that such claims have no legal basis.
Vietnam, along with the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, and Taiwan, has competing claims to areas of this busy shipping route, including the Spratly Islands, which are believed to be rich in oil and gas resources.
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