A foreign cargo ship tilted and went silent in the South China Sea, prompting a high-stakes rescue mission by Chinese forces near the contested Huangyan Island. The bulk carrier, carrying 21 crew from the Philippines toward China’s Guangdong, encountered disaster around 9:30 PM Thursday, 55 nautical miles northwest of the atoll.
China’s Southern Theater Command sprang into action following a tip from Sanya’s maritime bureau. Military planes scoured the vast ocean expanse, complemented by two Coast Guard ships diverted from nearby patrols to the crisis zone.
Rescue updates as of Friday midday: 17 individuals pulled from the waves—14 in stable condition, two declared deceased, and one receiving treatment. The search for the four still missing presses on relentlessly.
Experts note this event occurs amid ongoing geopolitical frictions in the region. The successful partial rescue demonstrates effective inter-agency collaboration and advanced search-and-rescue technology, offering a glimmer of hope in treacherous seas fraught with navigational hazards and disputes.