At 1am on Wednesday, Captain Do Mai Tan’s fishing boat QNg 95429 from Quang Ngai Province’s Binh Son District with a crew of 32 onboard, was sunk by a powerful whirlwind and all the fishermen onboard were thrown into the water.  At the time, the boat was fishing for cuttlefish about 29 nautical miles southwest of Phan Vinh Island (Pearson Reef) in the Truong Sa archipelago.

After receiving an SOS message from the boat, Nha Trang City’s Zone IV Maritime Search and Rescue Centre asked local fishing boats operating nearby to help the fishermen in distress.

Mr Le Duc Ry’s fishing boat QNa 94545 from Quang Nam Province’s Thang Binh District quickly arrived at the scene to save the lives of the victims.  However, the rescuers faced difficulties due to the strong winds and high waves, and only 8 fishermen had been rescued by 6.30am.

Fortunately, the remaining fishermen were rescued around 2 hours later.  They were physically exhausted and were taken to Phan Vinh Island for emergency aid.