In Vietnam, 3 men miraculously survive after drifting 100km at sea during storm Kalmaegi

Vice-chairman of the Quang Ngai People’s Committee Do Tam Hien on Saturday afternoon confirmed the rescue of Le Van Sanh, 37, from Ly Son Special Zone.

He was the second of the three missing men to be found.

At 4:10 pm the same day, while searching for two missing fishermen about 56 nautical miles southeast of Ly Son, vessel An Vinh Express spotted and rescued Sanh.

He was reported to be conscious, stable, and able to communicate with the rescuers.

At around 3:00 pm on Thursday, Duong Quang Cuong, a 44-year-old resident of Tay An Vinh Village in the special zone, suddenly jumped into the sea near Tay An Vinh Pier.

Witnessing this, two local men, Phan Duy Quang, 47, and Sanh, immediately rowed out in a small basket boat to save him, despite rough seas whipped up by the storm.

After managing to pull Cuong from the water, the men were overtaken by rising winds and waves.

Their fragile basket boat was swept away from shore and soon disappeared.

Upon receiving the distress report, Ly Son authorities launched a search operation, mobilizing vessel Thanh Tam, captained by Dang Van Thanh, along with several other boats.

Despite efforts throughout the night, the search yielded no results.

At noon on Friday, a helicopter from Division 372 under the Air Defense - Air Force Service was dispatched from Da Nang to support the search over the Ly Son waters.

Then, at 7:10 am on Saturday, cargo ship Hai Nam 39, en route from Lam Dong Province to Ha Tinh Province, spotted Quang struggling in the waters off neighboring Gia Lai Province.

The crew rescued him and brought him safely aboard.

Later that afternoon, rescuers found Sanh, while they were still searching for Cuong, the man who had initially jumped into the water.

Quang recalled that after their small boat capsized on Thursday night, the three men clung together, relying on their life jackets to stay afloat through the storm.

They endured powerful winds and massive waves, holding hands to keep each other alive.

On Saturday morning, as exhaustion set in, a large wave separated them in different directions.

Quang was rescued first, followed by Sanh.

Finally, at 6:10 pm the same day, Nguyen Van Huy, chairman of the Ly Son Special Zone People’s Committee, confirmed that Cuong had been found alive and rescued by fishing vessel QB 92198 TS.

An Vinh Express quickly headed to the fishing vessel to bring Cuong home.

“It is truly a miracle,” Huy said emotionally.

“It’s unimaginable that all three survived two days drifting in the open sea during such a fierce storm. 

"The residents are overjoyed."

That night, thousands of residents gathered at Ben Dinh Port, lighting fireworks and celebrating the miraculous return of their fellow residents.

To the people of Ly Son, the survival of the three men against the fury of the storm was nothing short of a wonder – a testament to courage, endurance, and the will to live.

Five people had been confirmed dead as of 11:00 am on Friday following storm Kalmaegi, which caused widespread destruction across Vietnam’s Central Highlands and south-central provinces, according to the Vietnam Disaster and Dyke Management Authority.