(ECNS) -- Vietnam on Sunday expressed gratitude to Chinese authorities for their rapid search and rescue efforts after a Vietnamese vessel sank in the South China See, according to Xinhua News Agency.
Pham Thu Hang, spokesperson for the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said Vietnamese authorities launched rescue operations immediately after the incident and coordinated closely with Chinese rescue forces and vessels operating near the scene.
She expressed hope that both sides would continue to coordinate closely in the search for those still missing.
The Vietnamese-flagged vessel Khoi Nguyen 18, carrying 62 people, sank in rough seas near Yongshu Reef in the Nansha Islands of the South China Sea after operating in unfavorable weather conditions.
By 11:32 p.m. Sunday, 47 of the 62 people on board had been rescued, according to Xinhua reports.
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