BEIJING: China and the Philippines said on Friday they launched rescue operations after receiving reports of a distressed cargo ship near the Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea which was carrying 21 Philippine crew members. The Chinese military said two crew had died and 17 had been rescued, after a report around 1:30 a.m. on Friday (1730 GMT on Thursday) that a foreign cargo vessel had capsized in waters near the shoal. It dispatched aircraft to conduct searches and the Chinese Coast Guard sent two vessels for rescue efforts.

BEIJING: China and the Philippines said on Friday they launched rescue operations after receiving reports of a distressed cargo ship near the Scarborough Shoal in the South China…

A Singapore-flagged vessel with 21 Filipino sailors on board capsizes, killing two and leaving four missing.