Thinking about his wife and children, he had to try to swim, waiting for a miracle to come
At around 3:00 p.m. on November 6, Mr. D.Q.C (44 years old, residing in Tay An Vinh village) committed suicide due to a family conflict at Ly Son port. At this time, storm No. 13 is approaching Quang Ngai, with big waves and strong winds.
Seeing that, Mr. Le Van Sanh (37 years old, residing in Tay An Hai village) and Mr. Phan Duy Quang (47 years old, residing in Tay An Vinh village) immediately used a basket to rescue him. However, due to the large waves, all three people were swept away and could not return to shore.
Upon receiving the news, the Border Guard Command of Quang Ngai province mobilized rescue ships to coordinate with the authorities to conduct the search. The Thanh Tam ship (number VT0035) captained by Mr. Dang Van Thanh (53 years old) was urgently mobilized to go to sea. However, at 5:50 p.m., the weather turned bad, the strong waves forced the ship to temporarily stop searching and return to anchor at Ben Dinh port.
And the miracle came. After 2 days and 2 nights of struggling amidst storms, hunger and thirst, on November 8, all three people were saved in turn in the overwhelming joy of people across the country watching the incident. In particular, on the evening of November 8, thousands of people in Ly Son special zone gathered at the special zone center, fireworks to celebrate - welcoming three men returning after 48 hours of drifting in the center of storm No. 13.
Eat live fish, drink rainwater to survive
Lying on a hospital bed at the Ly Son Military-Civilian Medical Center on the morning of November 9, Mr. Le Van Sanh recalled: "When Mr. Quang and I rowed a basket to save Mr. C., the sea was very rough, but at that time in my mind there was no sign of fear. I just thought I had to save my friend.
According to Mr. Sanh, although he had reached Mr. C., the big waves swept the basket away from the shore. In the dark, the strong waves hit the basket, all three separated in the middle of the black sea.
"Mr. Quang and Mr. Cuong are drunk and very tired. I tried to hold the basket for more than an hour and a half but couldn't. Mr. Quang said, the students just kept swimming, he no longer had the strength. From there, each person has a different direction, letting themselves follow the water. I swam and only thought about my wife and children, they were waiting for me at home. Thinking that, I tried to swim again, Mr. Sanh emotionally said.
After two days and two nights drifting in the middle of the sea, Mr. Sanh was lucky to pick up half a rotten apple and a plastic bottle, and a little fresh water. "I ate all the apples and drank the water in the bottle to resist," said Mr. Sanh.
Mr. Phan Duy Quang was rescued by the Hai Nam 39 ship at 8:45 a.m. on November 8, in the Gia Lai sea area. Recalling the life-and-death moment, he said: For two days and two nights drifting in the middle of the sea, I picked up a few small fish floating on the water to hold the steam. It was raining, I turned my face to pick up each drop of water to drink, hoping to have some strength to survive. When I saw the boat appearing, I tried my best to swim to block the bow of the boat, swimming while shouting until I stopped. When the crew saw me, I knew I had escaped death.
When pulled up to the hood, Mr. Quang turned purple because he was cold and exhausted. However, he still tried to say the first word: please let them find the other two friends...
At 4:10 p.m. the same day, the An Vinh Express ship discovered and rescued Mr. Le Van Sanh 56 nautical miles from Ly Son Island. Not long after, a Quang Tri fishing boat continued to discover Mr. D.Q.C, the third person missing. All three were rescued in a state of exhaustion but were alert, not endangering their lives.
On the morning of November 9, Mr. Nguyen Minh Tri, Secretary of the Party Committee of Ly Son Special Zone, visited and encouraged the Military-Civilian Medical Center for three people who had just gone through a life-and-death journey.
Mr. Doan Khac Anh Duyet - Head of Ly Son Port Management and Exploitation Department (Quang Ngai Provincial Port Management Board) - who directly participated in the search - said: "During the drift, Mr. Sanh discovered some vehicles moving at sea, so he took off his life jacket and held it in his hand to signal for help, but no one saw it. When he tried to wear it in the storm conditions, he could not do it, so his life jacket was swept away...".
Mr. Sanh and Mr. Quang are currently civil servants and workers working at the Ly Son Port Management and Exploitation Department under the Quang Ngai Provincial Port Management Board.
