Fishermen’s bodies found after boat accident
Rescuers have found the bodies of two fishermen in the waters off Vung Tau following a September 16 accident between a Singapore-flagged vessel and Vietnamese fishing boat.
According to local officials from the Vietnam Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre for Zone No. 3, the body of one man was found on September morning five nautical miles away from the site of the boat collision 50 miles off Vung Tau.
Two hours after that, the body of another victim was also discovered in the same location. The identities of the two men have not been determined. The bodies were taken to rescue vessel SAR 272.
The first body was found the previous day. Five other men are still missing.
The rescue vessels are still trying to approach the area, which is littered with many nets from the boat. Rescuers said they feared the missing men might have been caught in nets on the boat that had ended up in the water.
Pham Hien, Director of the Vietnam Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre for Zone No. 3, said the rescue team had also faced difficulties because of the influence of a tropical low pressure from at sea.
Also on September 18, the Vietnam Maritime Administration cooperated with Ba Ria-Vung Tau province’s Port Authorities, Public Security Department, border police and related officials to inspect the Singapore cargo vessel, Sima Sapphire, and interview the crew.
Local officials took the black box and sea charts of the vessel for further investigation.