At noon on December 23, the authorities of Nui Thanh district, Quang Nam confirmed that at 7:00 a.m. this morning, at the ferry terminal of Chua hamlet, Xuan My village (Tam Hai commune, Nui Thanh district), a ferry sank while carrying 14 people across the river.
At that time, the ferry was carrying passengers from Binh Trung to Xom Chua wharf (in the same commune as Tam Hai), in cold and rainy weather conditions, when it was close to the shore, it suddenly sank.
Fortunately, all 14 people on the ferry were safe and there were no casualties. At least 12 motorbikes and many phones and properties were sunk.
Initial information shows that the sunken Tam Hai ferry is a self-propelled wooden-hulled vessel that has been inspected and put into operation on December 21, 2024. The owner of the vehicle is Mr. Nguyen Nhan (born in 1966, residing in Xuan My, Tam Hai) with a driver's license until March 2025.
At the time the ferry sank, all passengers were equipped with life jackets and life buoys and clung to rafts floating on the nearby river. A few minutes later, all passengers and the boat driver were rescued by other vehicles and brought safely to shore.
Tam Hai is an island commune. Since 2012, Nui Thanh district has implemented socialization and organized bidding for private operators to operate a ferry route to this island commune. The ferry route that encountered the accident has had its cross-river passenger wharf operation extended until the end of August 2027, and is currently managed by the commune People's Committee.
Local authorities and rescue forces are actively working to salvage motorbikes and people's property and clarify the cause of the incident.
