On the evening of February 21, from Mr. Ha Ngoc Son's camp (born 1976, Trung Son village, Bao Ai commune) to the accident site about 400m away, in the quiet space of the lake, the collision sound rang out, tearing apart the silent night.
At about 7 pm, when I was in the shack cooking feed for my family's pigs, I suddenly heard a very loud collision, and then suddenly it was silent. I had a premonition that something was wrong," Mr. Son recounted.
Without time to think, I picked up a flashlight and rushed to the hillside to look down at the water. In the flickering light, I clearly heard people crying for help, tearing my heart in the middle of the night.
At this time, I rushed down to the shore, started the boat engine, and sped out to the scene. When I arrived, the colliding boat had receded about 50m away. On the water surface, people floated, people sank, life jackets and belongings drifted together.
At that time, I saw a woman holding two children tightly in her armpits, all three had drunk water and collapsed. Nearby was a granddaughter struggling, waving her hands around. Another man hugged his child, trying to cling to the middle of the river," Mr. Son recalled.
Mr. Son said: "At that time, I didn't have time to think, seeing someone floating on the water, I could pull someone onto the boat. I took four people in front in turn. Then I turned back to help the man and the child. The small boat gradually tilted because the water flooded in. If I carried more, the boat could capsize at any time.
After bringing everyone ashore, Mr. Son contacted the local authorities to report to the commune police, cordoning off the scene by anchoring so that rescue forces could determine the location.
More than an hour later, people and functional forces approached the area.
Talking about his life, Mr. Son said that he himself is not a fisherman transporting passengers, nor is he a tourism service provider. His family makes a living in the middle of the lake, familiar with the water, familiar with the wind, and familiar with each channel.
On the morning of February 22, functional forces found the first victim's body in the passenger ship capsizing on Thac Ba Lake.
The victim was identified as Hoang Duc M (born 2015, residing in hamlet 1, Cam Nhan commune). The victim's body was discovered at the sinking place and handed over to the family for funeral arrangements according to local customs.
Currently, there are 5 people missing including: Hoang Thi Thanh Th (born 2012), Hoang Thi T (born 1966), Hoang Thi H (born 1970), Trieu Thi H (born 1978) and Hoang Van Th (born 1984), all residing in hamlet 1, Cam Nhan commune, Lao Cai province.
Previously, at 7:15 pm on February 21, two ships with registration numbers YB0876H and YB0919 collided on the lake. Ship YB0876H carrying 23 people moved in the direction of Yen Binh - Cam Nhan; ship YB0919 carrying 515 tons of stone went in the opposite direction. As a result, ship YB0876H sank, 6 people went missing, and 17 people were rescued.
The cause of the accident is being further investigated and clarified by functional agencies.
