SINGAPORE - Eleven people were rescued but two remain missing after their ship sank in the South China Sea, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore said on Saturday (Jan 13).

It is coordinating a search and rescue operation together with its Indonesian and Malaysian counterparts, as the location of the incident falls within the Singapore Maritime Search and Rescue Region.

MPA said that it had been informed on Friday afternoon by the crew of three merchant ships that they had rescued the 11 people, believed to be Indo-Chinese, when their vessel sank..

The Republic of Singapore Air Force has deployed one Super Puma helicopter and one Fokker-50 maritime patrol aircraft to support the search and rescue operation.

Vessels passing in the area are also receiving navigational alerts from MPA and have been told to look out for the two missing crew.