The Vietnamese Embassy in Malaysia is making every endeavour to support Vietnamese crewmen affected by a poisonous gas accident on a ship off the Malaysian coast, said Ambassador Pham Cao Phong.

The three Vietnamese who died in the accident were identified as Captain Nguyen Duy Thai, Chief Officer Nguyen Dinh Hung and Master Mariner Pham Van Quy.

First aid was given to a victim of the poisonous gas accident.

Two other crew members, Luu Duc Thanh and Nguyen Van Quang, were hospitalised for treatment. On July 15, Thanh recovered and was discharged from the hospital while Quang was moved to another hospital in Johor Baru city due to the severity of his condition. Though he remains in a coma, his condition is no longer critical and is expected to be discharged from the hospital in the next 1-2 weeks, the ambassador said, quoting doctors at Burn Unit Sultatn Ismail Hospital.

The embassy is in contact with the liaison board of the overseas Vietnamese community in Johor and the hospital to assure Quang receives the best care available, the diplomat said.

The embassy has also worked with Malaysian authorities to coordinate legal and consular procedures to repatriate the deceased as soon as possible, he added.

The incident occurred on the night of July 12 when the ship, MV HI RAM, was 4.1 nautical miles southeast of Tanjung Penyusuk.

(Source: VNA)