Additional Coverage:
- China says 2 people are dead and 4 are missing after cargo ship capsizes near disputed shoal (nbcnews.com)
Tragedy Strikes South China Sea: Cargo Ship Capsizes, Leaving Two Dead and Four Missing
BANGKOK – A Singapore-flagged cargo ship carrying 21 Filipino crew members capsized in the South China Sea, resulting in the deaths of two individuals and leaving four others unaccounted for, Chinese authorities reported Friday.
Rescue operations, spearheaded by the Chinese Coast Guard and the People’s Liberation Army’s Southern Theater Command navy, have successfully rescued 15 people. Of those rescued, 14 are reported to be in stable condition, according to the PLA’s Southern Theater Command.
The incident occurred approximately 60 miles northwest of Scarborough Shoal, a highly contested area in the South China Sea, as stated by the Chinese Coast Guard. Contact with the cargo ship, identified as the Devon Bay by the Philippine Coast Guard, was lost Thursday night while it was en route to Guangdong province in southern China.
The Philippine Coast Guard has dispatched two vessels and aircraft to assist in the ongoing rescue efforts.
The waters surrounding Scarborough Shoal are a flashpoint for territorial disputes, with China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan all asserting claims. The region has seen frequent confrontations between Chinese and Philippine vessels, including an incident in August where a Chinese navy ship accidentally collided with a Chinese Coast Guard vessel while attempting to block a Philippine Coast Guard ship near the shoal.