17 Vietnamese crew members rescued in foreign waters
According to the Vietnam Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Centre, the Republic of Korea's Coast Guard has rescued 17 Vietnamese sailors after their cargo ship sank and took them to a nearby port. Search efforts continued for a missing sailor.
The Panamanian Huoei Crystal cargo vessel, owned by a Japanese company, with 18 crew members of Vietnamese nationality encountered an accident in the waters located between Japan, the Republic of Korea (RoK) and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and sent a distress signal at about 7:30 am on December 1 (Vietnam time).
It was transporting coal from Russia’s Nakhodka to Japan’s Kinuura and sent the signal from waters about 380 km northwest of the Oki Islands and later sank.
Seventeen of the 18 crew members safely escaped from the sinking ship onto a lifeboat and were rescued by the Coast Guard at 4:08 am on December 2 while floating in waters 131 kilometers northeast of the RoK island.
Upon receiving the information, the Vietnamese Embassy in RoK directed the consular unit and the Vietnam Labour Management Board to quickly contact local authorities to rescue the crew members.
Initial information said that 17 sailors are in stable health. Medical treatment has been given to four members who suffered minor injuries.
The Vietnamese Ambassador has made a phone call to the captain and crew members and given them encouragement. Currently, all the 17 crew members do not have personal papers and they will get help to go home soon.
