Authorities search for two Vietnamese apprentices missing in typhoon in Japan

The apprentices, from central Thanh Hoa and Nghe An province, worked at the Aioigumi Joint Stock Company in Miyazaki prefecture on Kyushu Island.

The Japanese Government has directed local police and rescue forces to actively search for the victims.

The Consulate General will maintain contact with the Japanese authorities and the Vietnamese community to update information and be ready to implement citizen protection measures.

The Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs also sent a letter to the Department of Overseas Labour Management at the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, the Departments of Foreign Affairs of the central provinces of Thanh Hoa and Nghe An to ask relevant enterprises, which sent the apprentices to Japan, to inform their families and ensure their full interests.

Earlier, right after receiving information about Super Typhoon Haishen, the Consulate General had issued warnings for the Vietnamese community on its website, as well as on websites and fan pages of Vietnamese organisations and associations in the region.

It has kept contact with Vietnamese people’s associations and groups, along with some businesses and schools in the areas the Consulate General is in charge of so as to have a good grasp of their situation, urge them to take prevention measures.

Those seeking support can call the hotlines of the Vietnamese Embassy in Japan at 81 (0) 80-3590-9136 and 81 (0) 80-3609-5011; the Vietnamese Consulate General in Fukuoka 81 (0) 80- 3984-6668 and 81 (0) 80-4279-7302; or the citizen protection switchboard 84.981.84.84 .84.

Typhoon Haishen rolled in Kyushu Island on early September 7 with wind speeds of up to 160km per hour and gusts of 216km per hour.

As of September 7 noon, at least 46 people in the Kyushu region were injured in this typhoon.