Foreign rescue forces join search for missing fishermen off Song Tu Tay Island
VOV.VN - Foreign rescue forces on board a helicopter and a vessel have been working alongside their colleagues of the Vietnam Coast Guard to search for 13 missing Vietnamese fishermen whose two boats sank in rough waters off the Truong Sa (Spratly) Islands in the East Sea.
According to Ho Quang Buu, vice chairman of the People’s Committee of Quang Nam province, as of the morning of October 18 the search forces had yet to find any of the missing fishermen.
Two vessels carrying 92 fishermen were catching squid off the archipelago's Song Tu Tay Island when strong winds and high waves caused both vessels to sink.
The first incident happened at 7:30 p.m. on October 16 roughly 370 nautical miles southeast of An Hoa Cape in Quang Nam province and about 70 nautical miles north-northeast of Southwest Cay Island in the Spratly archipelago. There were 54 fishermen on board, of whom 40 were rescued by a nearby fishing vessel, but one individual died in the process. The remaining 14 others are currently missing.
The other incident occurred around dawn on October 17 when rogue waves sank another squid fishing boat from Quang Nam about 240 nautical miles east-southeast of Quy Nhon coast and about 135 nautical miles north-northwest of Southwest Cay Island. All 37 fishermen were rescued by other passing vessels, while one fisherman remains missing.
As of noon on October 17, the search and rescue teams found two of the missing individuals. Despite initial first-aid efforts, the two fishermen eventually passed away.
Currently, all local and foreign rescue forces in the area are combing through the waters to look for the missing fishermen.
