A day after the accident, the boat wharf area on the lake still has a faint Tet atmosphere. Red peach branches hanging at the bow of the boat, spring wishes seem to still echo. But for the family of Mr. Hoang Van Long (born 1978, residing in Cam Nhan commune, Lao Cai province), the memory of the trip on the afternoon of the 5th day of Tet has now become an unquenchable obsession.
Mr. Long's family of four people got off the boat after visiting relatives for Tet. The eldest daughter stayed at a relative's house to enroll in school the next day, while he, his wife and youngest daughter returned first.
Mr. Long choked up recalling: "That day's meal had nearly 30 people, 5 full trays of food, brothers and uncles. After eating at about 3 pm, everyone called a taxi to the wharf to rent a boat to go home. No one thought it would be a fateful trip.
When the accident happened, amidst the freezing cold water and panicked cries for help, Mr. Long tried to swim in despair.
“I swam in on my own and clung to another boat. At that time, I only knew who to pull, and my wife and daughter... could not be seen anymore,” he said, his eyes lost.
The memory of the man who just escaped the line of life and death only has patched-up pieces - images of loved ones gradually sinking in the vast water.
At home, Hoang Van Hien (born 2003) is still waiting for his mother to return after the Tet greeting trip. In the afternoon of the accident, Hien was still talking on the phone with his mother.
“Mom said she was almost home. I even urged relatives to cook rice. But waited and waited and didn't see anything, and when I called back, no one answered the phone anymore...”, Hien recounted, his voice trembling.
A few minutes later, bad news struck: the ship carrying his relatives capsized. His father and some people were lucky to be rescued, but Mrs. Hoang Thi Hoa (born 1970, Hien's mother) was still missing.
“From yesterday until now, I just want to find my mother,” he choked up.
On the lake shore, relatives are on duty day and night, watching every rescue boat. Every time the water surface ripples, they hold their breath with hope. Some people only know how to clasp their hands in prayer in silence.
Mr. Hoang Van Dien (born 1987) - the person who welcomed relatives to celebrate Tet that day - is still in shock.
They are all aunts and uncles, siblings. No one is an outsider. I didn't expect the reunion meal to become such a painful memory," Mr. Dien sadly recounted.
Mr. Hoang Van Hoa (born 1968) - another relative - stood silently by the lake, his eyes red. Among the missing people were his sister-in-law, older sister, younger brother and younger grandchild.
If only everyone had stayed a little longer that day, or returned later...", the 58-year-old man burst into tears.
As Lao Dong Newspaper reported, at about 7:15 pm on February 21, in the Lang Can village area, Bao Ai commune, a collision occurred between a stone-carrying ferry with license plate YB-0919H driven by Nguyen Van Tham and a passenger waterway vehicle with license plate YB-0876H driven by Trieu Duc Noi. There were 23 people on the passenger ship (including the ship's captain).
The collision caused the passenger ship to sink. To date, functional forces have found 1 body, 5 people are still missing and search work continues to be urgently deployed.
