32 Vietnamese Fishermen Rescued After Boat Sinks in South China Sea; 18 Still Missing

Rescue operations are intensifying to find 18 fishermen still missing after their boat, QNa-90859 TS, sank in the South China Sea. As of 2 p.m. on August 28, a total of 32 fishermen had been rescued.

Thirty of the rescued fishermen were saved by the fishing boat BĐ-98960 TS, while two others were rescued by the fishing boat BĐ-98848 TS. The rescued fishermen were transferred to the coast guard vessel KN 472, which is now heading to Truong Sa Lon island in the Spratly Islands.

Several other fishing boats, including BĐ-96968 TS, BĐ-98848 TS, and BĐ-98960 TS, remain at the scene to assist in the search for the missing crew members. Coast guard vessels KN 417, KN 401, and CSB 6007 have also joined the search efforts.

The fishing boat, owned and captained by Huỳnh Văn Trí, departed from Núi Thành, Đà Nẵng. Its last recorded signal was at 12:54 p.m. on August 25, at coordinates 7.17 degrees north latitude and 112.36 degrees east longitude. This position is approximately 540 nautical miles west of An Bang island and 540 nautical miles from Sơn Trà island in Đà Nẵng.

Authorities are coordinating with various maritime and naval forces, as well as local government and families of the fishermen, to continue the search. Other vessels operating in the vicinity have also been asked to assist.

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The first stage is to ensure the safety of the fishermen. The second stage is to investigate the cause of the sinking.