A Chinese rescue ship saved 97 Vietnamese fishermen Saturday in the South China Sea, and continued to search for other Vietnamese missing in the wake of Typhoon Chanchu, a report said.

A man stands on a road flooded by water after being hit by Typhoon Chanchu in Xiamen, in China's eastern Fujian province, Thursday May 18, 2006. [AP]

The rescue ship also recovered 18 bodies, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.

It was unclear if the 97 saved fishermen were among almost 200 whose vessels sank and who were reported missing and presumed dead by authorities in the Vietnamese port city of Danang.

Responding to a request from the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, China dispatched the Nanhaijiu 111 to the Dongsha Islands, Xinhua reported.

They arrived early Saturday morning to find 12 Vietnamese fishing boats carrying 356 fishermen in danger of running out of fuel and water, Xinhua reported.

The rescue ship provided fuel and provisions to three fishing boats, which joined the search for the rest of the missing under their own power, it reported.

The Dongsha Islands, also known as the Pratas Islands, are about 300 kilometers (185 miles) southwest of Hong Kong.

A duty officer at the Chinese Maritime Rescue Bureau who refused to give his name said all questions must go through an information office that is closed until Monday.