NEED TO KNOW
- Two people have reportedly died after a cargo ship capsized in the South China Sea
- The Philippine Coast Guard said in a post on Facebook that the vessel’s “last known position was recorded at around 141 nautical miles west of Sabangan Point”
- 17 people had been rescued from the ocean, with 14 assessed as being in a stable condition
Two people have died and four others remain missing after a cargo ship capsized in the South China Sea.
On Friday, Jan. 23, the China Coast Guard stated in a release that at around 1:30 a.m. local time it was alerted that “a foreign cargo ship had capsized 55 nautical miles northwest of China’s Huangyan Dao,” which is also known as Scarborough Shoal.
The Philippine Coast Guard said in a post on Facebook that the vessel’s “last known position was recorded at around 141 nautical miles west of Sabangan Point,” at 8:30 p.m. local time.
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Officials said there were 21 Filipino crew members on the vessel, which has been identified as the 600 feet-long Devon Bay by the Philippine Coast Guard.
After receiving the notification from the Maritime Search and Rescue Center of Sansha City, the China Coast Guard said in their release that they sent out two vessels to conduct a search and rescue operation.
At the time of the release, the Chinese Coast Guard reported that 13 people had been rescued.
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The Chinese Embassy Manila revealed in an update that as of 12:30 p.m. local time, 17 people had been rescued with 14 assessed as being in a stable condition.
“Two have been confirmed dead, and one remains under emergency medical treatment,” the embassy added.
PEOPLE has contacted the China Coast Guard, the Philippine Coast Guard and the Chinese Embassy Manila for comment.
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“The Chinese PLA’s Southern Theater Command launched a joint rescue operation for a capsized foreign cargo ship in waters near China’s Huangyan Dao on Jan. 23,” the post read.
The embassy added that the ship had been traveling from the Philippines to Guangdong, China.
“Military aircraft were deployed to conduct continuous aerial searches over the incident area, while two nearby China Coast Guard vessels were ordered to proceed immediately to the scene for rescue work,” they added.
“Rescue efforts are currently underway in full swing, and China’s maritime authorities are organizing additional rescue teams to rush to the accident site,” officials continued.
In footage shared by the embassy, the China Coast Guard was seen carrying out their rescue operation by pulling crew members from the capsized vessel onto their ship.
The Philippine Coast Guard also confirmed in a statement that the capsized ship was the Singaporean-flagged Devon Bay.
“The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has deployed BRP Teresa Magbanua (MRRV-9701), BRP Cape San Agustin (MRRV-4408), and two PCG aircraft to conduct Search and Rescue (SAR) operations for the 21 all-Filipino crew of M/V Devon Bay, a Singaporean-flagged general cargo vessel loaded with iron ore,” they wrote in a Facebook post.
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