All 11 rescued after fishing boat sinks off Vietnam’s Hai Phong

The vessel HP-90666-TS, captained by Le Ngoc Nam from Thanh Hoa Province, north-central Vietnam, departed the Mat Rong fishing port at 11:30 am on Tuesday for Bach Long Vi Island.

There were 11 people aboard the ship, including the captain, one crew member, and nine passengers, along with cargo consisting of cement, bricks, and food supplies.

At around 4:00 pm, while the boat was about 18 nautical miles southeast of Long Chau Island and 26 nautical miles west of Bach Long Vi, it encountered heavy waves and strong winds.

Water flooded the cabin despite efforts to pump it out.

By 5:30 pm, the vessel sank.

Before the vessel went under, all 11 people managed to put on life jackets and cling to floating containers to stay afloat while awaiting rescue.

Authorities lost contact with the vessel at 5:20 pm the same day, raising fears of an accident.

Search and rescue teams were deployed overnight.

At 9:25 am on Wednesday, rescuers reached another fishing boat, ND-92568-TS, which had already picked up three survivors.

Those survivors then assisted in locating the remaining eight.

By 6:30 pm, all 11 victims had been rescued with stable health and no serious injuries.