On the morning of March 23, information from Quynh Thuan Border Guard Station, Nghe An Provincial Border Guard said that despite many days of searching, expanding the area around the location of the sunken ship by about 40 nautical miles, even entering Ha Tinh sea, the 3 missing crew members have not been found.
Previously, at around 6:00 p.m. on March 18, the NA 80209-TS fishing boat, 14.95m long, specialized in trawling, was on its way to Lach Quyen (Quynh Thuan commune, Quynh Luu district) when it suddenly sank.
The location of the sunken ship was determined to be about 6 nautical miles from Mat Island. On the boat were a total of 4 crew members, all residing in Quynh Luu district, Nghe An province.
By the afternoon of March 19, the rescue team had rescued crew member Tran Van Huu (born in 1995), residing in Van Hai commune, Quynh Luu district, about 30 nautical miles from the location of the sunken ship.
According to Mr. Huu, when the boat was fishing in the sea about 30 nautical miles from the mainland, the counting machine suddenly broke down. The crew had to collect nets to return to shore for repairs.
At that time, the captain was controlling the ship, while the other 3 crew members focused on sorting seafood and clearing the deck. When Mr. Huu went down to the engine compartment, he suddenly discovered that a lot of water had flooded the engine, almost flooding the engine. The initial cause was determined to be a drop in the water pipe system under the boat, causing water to enter the hold.
Just a few minutes after the spill was discovered, the ship sank completely. All 4 crew members panicked and jumped out of the boat without having time to pick up any items.
At that time, some foam boards covering the stone quarry on the boat floated onto the water surface, all four people held them as life buoys. Due to not having enough foam for each person, captain Nguyen Van Cuong and crew member Le Anh Tuan had to stick to the same boat. However, the northeast monsoon and big waves roared strongly, causing the crew to separate.
Currently, the search for the 3 missing crew members is still being carried out by the authorities and local fishermen.
