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China's military rescue 17 Filipino sailors from South China Sea shipwreck

China 12:01, 23-Jan-2026

CGTN

, Updated 18:22, 23-Jan-2026

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Members of the China Coast Guard carry out a rescue operation after a foreign cargo ship capsized in the territorial waters of south China's Huangyan Dao, January 23, 2026. /China Coast Guard

Chinese military forces retrieved 17 Filipino crew members from a shipwreck in the South China Sea as of 12:30 p.m. (Beijing Time) on Friday, according to the Chinese People's Liberation Army Southern Theater Command.

Fourteen of those rescued are in stable condition and one is in emergency care, while two had died, the command added.

It added that, at around 9:30 p.m. on Thursday (Beijing Time), a foreign cargo ship en route from the Philippines to south China's Guangdong Province capsized and lost contact in waters about 55 nautical miles northwest of China's Huangyan Dao, with a total of 21 crew members on board.

Upon receiving a report regarding the incident in the early hours of Friday morning, the Southern Theater Command immediately sent military aircraft to conduct search operations. Two nearby China Coast Guard vessels also joined the search and rescue mission.

Chinese maritime authorities are dispatching additional rescue forces to the area, while search and rescue efforts continue, the command said.

Members of the China Coast Guard rescue a Filipino crew member after a foreign cargo ship capsized in the territorial waters of south China's Huangyan Dao, January 23, 2026. /China Coast Guard

Rescued Filipino crew members pictured after a foreign cargo ship capsized in the territorial waters of south China's Huangyan Dao, January 23, 2026. /China Coast Guard

Members of the China Coast Guard carry out a rescue operation after a foreign cargo ship capsized in the territorial waters of south China's Huangyan Dao, on January 23, 2026. /China Coast Guard

A rescued Filipino crew member is treated by a China Coast Guard member on January 23, 2026. /China Coast Guard

A Filipino crew member is rescued by the China Coast Guard on January 23, 2026. /China Coast Guard

Members of the China Coast Guard carry out a rescue operation after a foreign cargo ship capsized in the territorial waters of south China's Huangyan Dao, on January 23, 2026. /China Coast Guard

Source(s): Xinhua News Agency