SHANGHAI: Rescue teams saved at least 330 Vietnamese fishermen from the fury of Typhoon Chanchu over the weekend the largest number of foreigners rescued by China's maritime officials.

On Saturday, rescue vessel Nanhaijiu 111 had gone to the aid of 21 Vietnamese fishing boats near Dongsha Islands in the South China Sea, the China Maritime Search and Rescue Centre said Sunday.

Vietnamese fishermen are overjoyed to see the arrival of Chinese rescuers in the South China Sea on Saturday. Chinese rescue teams saved at least 330 Vietnamese fishermen from the fury of Typhoon Chanchu over the weekend the largest number of foreigners rescued by China's maritime officials. [Xinhua]

The vessel provided food, fresh water and fuel to 306 fishermen on 14 boats, the centre said.

Vietnamese officials said seven boats with 88 aboard are still missing.

Twenty-one Vietnamese were dead and six others injured in the typhoon, according to Zhou Wanli of the Nanhai Rescue Bureau based in South China's Guangdong Province. Ships are still combing the area for survivors.

Rescue efforts started on Friday afternoon as soon as China was informed by the Vietnamese Government that 32 fishing boats with 356 people aboard were missing in Dongsha waters.

Nanhaijiu 111 arrived there in the early hours of Saturday after a 10-hour trip and found the first Vietnamese boat.

With no fuel or drinking water, the boat had been floundering in choppy waters for hours.

The rescue ship provided 2 tons of fuel, fresh water, food and medicine, helping the boat sail back home. Other fishing boats were in a similar situation and were given help.

On May 17, 24 Vietnamese aboard a fishing boat were saved by a Chinese rescue ship which went to the aid of Pompei, a Belgian freighter, whose engines broke down.

So far, rescue crews have provided 30 tons of fuel, 140 tons of fresh water, food and medicines, helping the boats get back home.

The death toll in China from Chanchu has been put at 21 as Fujian and Guangdong provinces bore the brunt of its wrath.

The typhoon with heavy rains and winds of up to 170 kilometres per hour triggered landslides and house collapses.

More than 1 million people were evacuated from coastal regions or areas vulnerable to landslides.