China rescues 47 crew members after Vietnamese ship sinks in South China Sea: Chinese foreign ministry

45 people have been rescued as authorities continue operations near Spratly Islands

As of 09:33 am on Monday, the Chinese side has transferred four distressed personnel to Vietnam, with a cumulative total of 45 personnel handed over.

At 8:05 pm, the Chinese side transferred 41 rescued personnel in batches via life rafts from Chinese rescue vessel Nanhai Jiu 115 to Vietnamese naval ship Truong SA-01.

The vessel, the Khoi Nguyen 18, was carrying 62 Vietnamese sailors when it began taking on water before sinking near the Spratly Islands, a cluster of over 100 small reefs and other land formations in the South China Sea where numerous countries have competing claims of sovereignty.