On July 25, the Quang Ngai provincial Border Guard Command reported that a local fishing vessel had encountered strong winds and rain, taken on water and sunk while heading toward Truong Sa Lon Island.

At about 10:10 p.m. on July 24, the Binh Thanh Border Guard Control Station received a report from Bui Thi Suong, 51, a resident of My Tan village, Binh Son commune, that fishing boat QNg 95267 TS had encountered trouble at sea.

The vessel is 20.6 meters long, has a capacity of 525 horsepower and is registered for line fishing. It is owned and captained by Tran Van Dan, 58, also of My Tan village.

On June 4, the vessel departed through the Binh Thanh Border Guard Control Station with 36 fishermen on board to operate in waters around the Spratly Islands.

At about 8 a.m. on July 24, while the boat was operating at coordinates 08°24'51"N - 112°02'05"E, its vessel monitoring system lost signal.

The family was then unable to contact the captain or crew members.

At 10:10 p.m. the same day, the family re-established contact and learned that the boat had encountered a powerful squall while heading toward Truong Sa Lon Island.

Water flooded into the vessel, causing it to sink.

After the incident, fishing boat QNg 95555 TS, captained by Nguyen Huu Loc, 53, also of My Tan village, reached the area and began rescuing the fishermen.

So far, 33 fishermen have been rescued and taken to Truong Sa Lon Island to shelter from the weather and recover their health.

Three people remain missing.

Authorities are coordinating with fishing vessels operating near the area to continue searching for the missing fishermen.

Ha Nam