It has been 20 days, news about fishing boat BD 97258 TS and 8 fishermen, including captain Huynh Van Son (born in 1981, residing in Hoai Nhon Dong ward, Gia Lai province) and 7 crew members, missing at sea has not been determined.
Worries still weighed on the fishermen's families. As each day passed, for them it was a long period of darkness, when hope gradually ran out like a weak light that was about to go out in the thunder and wind. They only hope that a miracle could happen to the "fate" ship. Some families have given up and built altars for the missing people.
Recalling the night of September 27 - the time when fishing boat BD 97258 TS went missing while operating in the Southeast sea of Quy Nhon, about 147 nautical miles from the mainland, relatives of the crew members remain optimistic, believing that the small boat would only temporarily lose signal while avoiding a major storm (storm No. 10 Bualoi).
Ms. Vo Thi Luc (born in 1984, residing in Hoai Nhon Dong ward) - wife of captain Huynh Van Son - choked up as she said: "I thought I would only lose contact for a few hours, at most just a few days, because going to sea often happened. So impatient, the family went to see fortune-telling, they said the husband was still alive, so the whole family still held on to hope, waiting for him".
But after 20 days, the ship is still in a void. The hope of her husband returning is increasingly away from the minds of women in the coastal areas.
"My eldest child knows about his missing father, and I hid the two children. The mother-in-law is being treated for cancer in Ho Chi Minh City. When she returns, the family will build an altar and incense for her husband," Ms. Luc said in tears.
In addition to captain Huynh Van Son, his younger brother, uncle and brother-in-law were also present on that fateful trip to sea. Before the bad news, Mr. Son's mother suffered a stroke many times, not daring to believe the truth.
Ms. Phan Thi Thu Hien (wife of fisherman Nguyen Quoc Hai, born in 1987) gave up and built an altar for her husband. "I didn't think this sea trip would be the last time we broke up," Ms. Hien choked up.
Mr. Phan Van Thoi (Ms. Hien's biological father) watched his daughter's scene of missing her husband and her heart was as if cutting off: "It's over, there's no more hope. Losing the pillar, now the daughter's life with her grandchildren is unknown in the future".
According to Mr. Nguyen Van Hiep - Chairman of Hoai Nhon Dong Ward People's Committee, up to now, the fishing boat and 8 missing fishermen are still alone at sea. Initial assessment is that the fishing boat is likely to have been sunk by a foreign ship offshore.
Currently, 2 families have built altars for the missing people, the rest still hold a little hope. The crew members are all the main pillars of the family, while the wives at home take care of the housework and childcare. The current situation is very difficult, many children are at risk of dropping out of school halfway.
The local government has visited, encouraged, and supported each family with 2 million VND. At the same time, he directed associations and unions to develop a sponsorship plan for children in special circumstances, provide material and spiritual support so that they can continue to go to school.
On October 16, the Gia Lai Provincial Red Cross Society also visited and presented 3.5 million VND in support to each missing fishermen's family.
