China rescues 45 Vietnamese crew members in distress.

According to the Ministry of Transport's Rescue and Salvage Bureau, a Vietnamese-flagged vessel encountered distress and sank in the Nansha waters, with a total of 62 crew members on board. As of 16:00 on July 26, China has rescued a total of 45 people in distress.

It is reported that the distressed vessel sank on the night of July 24, and the people in distress drifted on life rafts to the waters near Yongshu Reef in the Nansha area. During its return voyage to Sanya, the South China Sea Rescue Bureau's vessel "Nanhai Jiu 115" successively discovered two life rafts in the waters north of Yongshu Reef and rescued a total of 36 people in distress. Meanwhile, the South China Sea Rescue Bureau dispatched the vessel "Nanhai Jiu 113" and the rescue helicopter "B-72CT" to the scene for search and rescue. On July 26, under the unified coordination of the Sansha Maritime Search and Rescue Sub-Center, various forces at the scene rescued an additional 9 people in distress.

Currently, 17 crew members from the distressed vessel remain missing, and search and rescue efforts are ongoing.