At least 26 Vietnamese fishermen died and 245 were unaccounted for late Friday after Typhoon Chanchu sank at least nine boats in the South China Sea, rescue and border guard officials said.
Twenty-six fishermen had been found dead, said coastal and border guard officials, more than two days after the powerful storm first hit the ships as it swept from the Philippines toward the Chinese mainland.
A total of 245 people remained out of contact and unaccounted for late Friday, according to the National Search and Rescue Centre in Hanoi.
"China has joined Vietnam in the search, but we haven't heard whether they have found anyone," an official at the centre told AFP.
Chanchu hit the ships from early Wednesday, cutting radio contact. At least 70 sailors were able to seek refuge on the Chinese island of Dong Sa.
The storm sank at least nine vessels, most of them from the central city of Danang and the nearby provinces of Quang Nam, Quang Ngai and Binh Dinh, said the national border guard official.