China rescues 39 sailors from sunken Vietnamese vessel

A rescue vessel operated by China's Ministry of Transport has taken aboard 39 crew members from the Vietnamese ship KHOI NGUYEN18, which sank overnight on July 24, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reports.

A total of 62 people were on board the vessel. Following the sinking, the sailors abandoned the ship using life rafts, which were carried by currents toward the Nansha (Spratly) Islands. 

Rescuers located two groups of rafts: 36 sailors were rescued first, followed by three more later.

Twenty-three crew members remain missing.

By Jeyhun Aghazada