Twelve sailors are still missing after Van Don 02, a Vietnamese cargo ship, sank in the southern area of East Sea on December 28, the Vietnam Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Center said.
The cargo ship, carrying 23 crewmembers, sank at 2:58 am, when it was heading north from Malaysia to Vietnam.
Two nearby fishing boats, from the southern province of Kien Giang, plucked 11 of the crewmembers from the ocean. Two of them are seriously injured.
Urgent messages have been sent to vessels operating nearby the incident to call for assistance, if they find the remaining 12 sailors.
The exact cause of the sinking is still unknown.
Rescue forces have been searching for the missing crew, but gusty winds and rough seas have hindered the search and rescue.
The 6,900 DWT cargo ship belongs to the Quang Ninh Sea Transport, Import and Export Joint Stock Company, based in the northern city of Hai Phong.
