32 rescued after squid-fishing vessel sinks off Vietnam, search continues for 18 missing

Da Nang officials confirmed on Friday afternoon that rescue forces and nearby fishing boats had found 32 fishermen from the QNa 90859 TS vessel.

A Coast Guard vessel and three fishing boats are searching the area where the vessel was last reported, an official said.

Authorities have determined that the boat sank after losing contact.

The Nui Thanh Commune administration in Da Nang was notified on Wednesday that the squid-fishing vessel, carrying captain Huynh Van Tri and 49 crew members, had lost contact, prompting their families to seek assistance.

The vessel departed An Hoa Port in Nui Thanh on July 29.

Its vessel monitoring system last transmitted a position at 12:54 pm on Tuesday at 07°50'17"N, 112°20'36"E, about 540 nautical miles from Da Nang and 35 nautical miles west of An Bang Island in the Truong Sa special zone of Khanh Hoa Province.

On Thursday, the Da Nang Border Guard Command requested that municipal authorities seek assistance from national civil defense forces in locating the missing vessel and crew.