The China Coast Guard said it had rescued 17 Filipino crew members after a foreign cargo vessel capsized in the South China Sea, with two fatalities confirmed and search operations ongoing.
In a statement released Friday via its official WeChat account, the coast guard said rescue teams had recovered 17 crew members by 6 p.m. local time. Fifteen were reported to be in stable condition, while two were pronounced dead.
According to the statement, the coast guard was alerted at 1:34 a.m. on Friday by the Sansha Maritime Search and Rescue Center in China’s Hainan province. The vessel was reported to have capsized approximately 55 nautical miles northwest of Huangyan Island.
The ship was carrying 21 Filipino crew members at the time of the incident, the coast guard said. Two coast guard vessels were immediately dispatched to the area to conduct search and rescue operations.
The China Coast Guard stated that operations remain underway in the surrounding waters and that rescued crew members are receiving food, medical examinations, and shelter to ensure their safety.