The area is the site of frequent showdowns between Chinese and Philippine ships.
Eight people have gone missing after a boat capsized with 21 Filipinos on board in the South China Sea, a statement released by China’s Coast Guard read on Friday, news agency AP reported.
The boat capsized around 55 nautical miles northwest of Scarborough Shoal, which is one of the most disputed shoals in the sea. It is also the site of frequent showdowns between Chinese and Philippine ships.
Soon after receiving reports, both countries launched rescue operations, with the Chinese military dispatching aircraft to conduct searches while the Chinese Coast Guard sending two vessels for rescue efforts, Reuters reported.
The military also said that 17 crew members were rescued, out of whom two later died, the report quoted.
The Philippine Coast Guard said it deployed two vessels and two aircraft to rescue the Philippine crew from the boat. “The PCG Command Center acquired information from the Hong Kong Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre that 10 of the 21 Filipino crew members were rescued by a passing China Coast Guard vessel,” it stated, according to Reuters.
The Singaporean-flagged cargo vessel was loaded with iron ore and was en route to southern Chinese city of Yangjiang.
Both countries often make claims to the territory and patrol the waters near the shoal, also claimed by Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan, the report stated.
Last August, a Chinese navy ship accidentally collided with a Chinese Coast Guard ship while trying to block a Philippine Coast Guard vessel near Scarborough Shoal, AP noted.
