Rescuers are searching for 23 people after a Vietnamese cargo ship carrying 62 crew members sank in the South China Sea, Chinese state media reported on Sunday.
The vessel, identified as the Khoi Nguyen 18, ran into trouble near Yongshu Reef, also known as Fiery Cross Reef, according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.
A total of 39 people had been rescued by Sunday morning, while search teams continued efforts to locate those still missing.
The circumstances surrounding the sinking were not immediately clear. Authorities had not released details about what caused the vessel to encounter difficulties or how quickly it went down.
The incident occurred in a strategically important part of the South China Sea, a major maritime route used by commercial vessels from across Asia and beyond. Yongshu Reef is among the features in the Spratly Islands, an area that has been the subject of overlapping territorial claims.
Rescue operations were continuing as authorities worked to determine the condition and location of the missing crew members. Emergency teams were searching the surrounding waters for survivors while coordinating efforts to account for everyone who had been aboard the vessel.
The sinking adds to a series of maritime emergencies in the busy waters of the South China Sea, where ships regularly operate in challenging conditions and where large distances can complicate rescue efforts.
Chinese state media provided no immediate information about the nationalities of all those aboard the ship beyond identifying the vessel as Vietnamese.
The number of survivors could change as rescue teams continue their operation, with authorities expected to provide further details about the search and the circumstances of the accident.
As of Sunday morning, 23 people remained unaccounted for, while the 39 rescued crew members were receiving assistance following the sinking.
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