The China Coast Guard announced on Sunday that it successfully transferred 17 rescued Filipino crew members to the Philippines, following their retrieval from waters near China's Huangyan Island. The crew had been aboard a foreign cargo ship that capsized early Friday morning, 55 nautical miles northwest of the island.

The alert came from the maritime search and rescue center of Sansha, Hainan province, indicating that 21 Filipino sailors were on board. Of the 17 rescued, two were confirmed dead. Four remained missing.

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In response, the China Coast Guard dispatched two vessels, Dongsha and Sanmen, to conduct a sector-by-sector search and rescue operation. At the request of the Philippine authorities, the Dongsha, Sanmen, and Philippine Coast Guard vessel 9701 completed the personnel handover at the incident site at 2:43 pm on Sunday.

The China Coast Guard has pledged to continue search and rescue efforts for those still missing.