#South China Sea

#South China Sea

At least two sailors have died and 15 others have been rescued after a Singapore-flagged cargo vessel with 21 Filipinos on board capsized in the disputed waters of the South China Sea, leaving four missing, according to authorities in China and the Philippines. The Chinese Ministry of National Defense said the Chinese coastguard sent two vessels to assist after the boat capsized in the early hours of Friday, about 100 kilometres (60 miles) northwest of Scarborough Shoal (known in China as Huangyan Dao).

A US Navy F/A-18F Super Hornet and an MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter crashed in separate incidents on Sunday in the South China Sea, the US Pacific Fleet said. Both military aircraft had been deployed from the USS Nimitz and went down 30 minutes apart from each other during routine operations, the Navy said in a statement on Sunday. "All personnel involved are safe and in stable condition. The cause of both incidents is currently under investigation," it said.

The two-day joint military deployment that kicked off on Sunday is likely to anger China, which claims nearly the entire key waterway and has separate territorial disputes with the two Asian countries.