Surviving after 4 days of drifting at sea
On August 18, ship 743 (under Naval Flotilla 129) brought fishermen floating for 4 days at sea safely ashore (Phuoc Thang ward, Ho Chi Minh City), handing over to the Border Guard force for settlement according to regulations.
Previously, at about 6 pm on August 16, Ship 743, while on duty in the area east of the Thang Long oil and gas rig (about 80 nautical miles from the shore), discovered a fisherman drifting at sea. Therefore, the Ship 743 force maneuvered to approach in conditions of darkness, big waves, and strong winds.
At about 7 pm, the fisherman in distress was brought onto the ship safely, in a state of weakened health, fatigue, and unstable spirit. This person was quickly given first aid, health care and arranged a resting place.
Initially, the fisherman who encountered the accident declared his name as Truong Van Chung (born in 1980, residing in An Giang province), who fell off a fishing boat on August 12 and drifted at sea until he was rescued. Mr. Chung miraculously survived by clinging to a piece of foam to float at sea.
The desire to live because of worrying about children has turned into a miracle
Mr. Chung recounted that around July 6th, he followed a pair of trawlers to sea for fishing. At about 8 pm on August 12th, when standing leaning against the railing pillars and foam panels on the boat to press the phone, he suddenly fell backwards and fell off the boat.
At that time, I only managed to reach and hit a foam sheet on the boat and fell into the sea, being swept away by the water. During the drifting process, I also cried for help but no one heard, so I was quite desperate and had to give up calling for help," Mr. Chung said.
According to Mr. Chung, during the drifting at sea, he always thought that when he died, there would be no one to take care of his children, so he tried to cling to the foam as soon as possible. During this time, he also saw many other ships but quite far away, and no longer had the strength to call for help or signal.
After a while, I was exhausted, no longer strong enough to raise my hand to signal, but just persistently clung to the foam board. There was nothing to eat, so I just drank water to hold on, watching the sunrise and sunset to predict the direction," Mr. Chung recounted.
clinging to a foam sheet drifting at sea for 4 days, being pushed and touched by sea waves, Mr. Chung suffered abrasions in his chest and abdomen. When discovered, Mr. Chung was almost exhausted, even without the strength to raise his hand to signal or call for help.
Thanks to this foam, I was saved, so I want to bring it home as a souvenir in an incident that I will probably never forget," Mr. Chung said.
