A spokesperson for Vietnam's Foreign Ministry has confirmed the recovery of the body one of the 14 missing crewmembers of a cargo ship that sank near the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea late last week.
Pham Thu Hang told reporters that Vietnamese authorities recovered the victim's remains earlier this week as the 48 surviving crewmembers of the general cargo vessel Khoi Nguyen 18 were brought home and reunited with their respective families.
The survivors were rescued by personnel from the China Coast Guard and other Chinese and Vietnamese agencies in the hours after the cargo ship sank in bad weather near the Spratlys' Fiery Cross Reef [a feature claimed by Vietnam, China, the Philippines and Taiwan, –ed] on July 24.
Hang has assured that the search for the 13 missing crewmembers will continue with assistance being provided by the Chinese and Philippine governments.
Vietnamese civil defence officials said that 47 vessels from Vietnam, China, and the Philippines have been deployed as part of the search effort.
All 62 of Khoi Nguyen 18's crew at the time of her loss were Vietnamese nationals.