Vietnam searches for fishing boat carrying 50 people missing at sea

The fishing boat QNa-90859-TS carrying the captain and 49 crew members left An Hoa Port in Nui Thanh on July 29.

According to authorities, the vessel’s last signal was recorded at 12:54 p.m. on August 25 while it was operating about 540 nautical miles southeast of Da Nang and around 35 nautical miles from An Bang Island in the Truong Sa Special Zone of Khanh Hoa province.

The area where the vessel was last detected had southwesterly winds of around 29-49 kmh and rough seas, making conditions at sea difficult.

As of the afternoon of August 27, authorities and the fishermen’s families had still been unable to establish contact with the vessel.

Vietnam’s coastal information system has taken measures to establish communication with the vessel but has received no response. It has also issued notices through the maritime information system, calling on vessels operating in the area to maintain a close watch and assist in the search for the missing fishing boat.

The Da Nang Border Guard Command has directed its units to coordinate with local authorities, the families of the crew, the Gia Lai Border Guard Command and Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Centre Region IV to verify information and search for the vessel.

Authorities have also asked boats operating near the area to actively assist in the search and immediately report any information related to the missing vessel.

Currently, there is no confirmed information that the vessel has encountered an accident. Authorities are continuing efforts to determine the vessel’s location, establish contact and coordinate search operations.

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