Rescuers were searching on Sunday for 23 people, missing after a Vietnamese ship sank in the South China Sea, China's state media reported.
Authorities in the Chinese island province of Hainan said the cargo vessel Khoi Nguyen 18 ran into trouble near Yongshu Reef, also known as Fiery Cross Reef, state broadcaster CCTV said.
The ship was carrying 62 crew members, and 39 people were rescued from the water.
What we know about the sinking incident
A Chinese rescue ship, the Nanhai Jiu 115, first spotted what was believed to be a distress flare from the vessel shortly before 6:30 pm on Saturday (1030 GMT).
