(UPDATE) 2 Filipino sailors confirmed dead: DFA

MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) - Two Filipino sailors were confirmed dead while one was rescued after a cargo vessel sank off Vietnamese waters last Friday, a government official said today.

"So far, one crew member, reported to be the chief cook, has been rescued while two bodies have been recovered. The search for the 16 other crew embers continues," Foreign Affairs spokesman Charles Jose said in a statement.

Vietnamese authorities are leading the rescue operations, which was joined by vessels from Liberia, Oman, Singapore and China, Jose said.

Vietnam's Ministry of Foreign Affairs officially confirmed to the Philippine Embassy in Hanoi the sinking of cargo vessel Bulk Jupiter off the coast of Vung Tau City. The ship, which  was manned by an all-Filipino crew of 19, was on its way to China when it sank.

"The embassy is coordinating with the Vietnam Maritime Research and Rescue Coordinating Center and the Philippine Honorary Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City in gathering updates and making arrangements for the repatriation of the rescued seafarer and the retrieved remains," Jose said.