Saved Vietnamese crew thank China for swift rescue

Rescued Vietnamese sailors on Sunday expressed their gratitude to Chinese savors in video footage, saying "Thank you, China," after surviving the sinking of their ship in the South China Sea.

A handwritten letter of thanks from one of the rescued crew members was also released.

The Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sunday thanked Chinese authorities for their swift search and rescue efforts after the Vietnamese ship sank in the South China Sea, with 45 of the 62 people on board rescued as of Sunday noon.

Pham Thu Hang, spokeswoman for the ministry, said the Vietnamese side launched rescue operations immediately after the incident and coordinated closely with Chinese rescue forces and vessels operating near the site.

She expressed the hope that both sides would continue to coordinate closely in the search for those still missing.

The Khoi Nguyen 18, a Vietnamese-flagged ship carrying 62 people, sank in adverse weather near the Yongshu Reef in the Nansha Islands of the South China Sea.

Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Sunday that it has stopped six vessels seeking to cross the Strait of Hormuz within the past 24 hours.

These vessels were forced to anchor and follow relevant instructions from the Iranian side after receiving warnings from the IRGC. IRGC Navy controls about 240,000 square kilometers of waters in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz through uninterrupted patrols and surveillance.

The IRGC stated that any vessel failing to accept or abide by Iran's orders and regulations will be barred from passing through the Strait of Hormuz. It also noted that the U.S. military attempted to alter the vessels' course, but the ships were forced to turn back after receiving warning shots from the Iranian side.