SANSHA, July 25 (Xinhua) -- Twenty-nine people have been rescued, while 33 others are still awaiting rescue after a Vietnamese fishing vessel ran into distress near Yongshu Reef in the Nansha Islands in the South China Sea on Saturday, according to the Sansha maritime search and rescue center.

The vessel, "Knoi Nguyen 18," was carrying 62 people when it encountered trouble in waters near the reef on Saturday evening.

As of 6:54 p.m. on Saturday, the rescue ship "Nanhai Jiu 115" of China's Nanhai Rescue Bureau of the Ministry of Transport had pulled 29 people from the water. Search and rescue operations are continuing. ■