KHANH HOA, (Vietnam): Five people are believed to have suffered gas asphyxiation in an engine room hold aboard the vessel Truong Nguyen 8, prompting an emergency response that left two dead, two hospitalised and one person missing, according to the Khanh Hoa Provincial Border Guard Command on Tuesday (March 17).
The Vietnamese-flagged vessel, registration number HP 3867 and owned by NTK Shipping Agent Sea Co Ltd, was travelling from HCM City to Can Tho when the incident occurred on Monday (March 16) evening.
There were 11 people on board, including one non-crew member. The vessel later docked at Trung Nam–Ca Na Port in Ca Na Commune, Khanh Hoa Province, where authorities were alerted.
Rescue forces boarded the vessel and found two people dead. Two others were taken to Ninh Thuan General Hospital for emergency treatment, while another non-crew member, whose identity has yet to be confirmed, remains missing in a deep hold and is the subject of an ongoing search.
The remaining six people are reported to be in stable condition.
Le Huy Thach, director of Ninh Thuan General Hospital in Khanh Hoa Province, said the two patients receiving emergency care were captain Bui Van Quy, 48, from Hai Phong, and crew member Thai Van Thinh, 25, from Nghe An Province.
They have passed the critical stage and are under close monitoring and treatment.
The fatalities were identified as Tran Duc Tai, 45, chief engineer, and Tran Xuan Dung, 55, a crew member, both from Nghe An Province.
The Khanh Hoa Provincial Border Guard Command has instructed the Ca Na Border Post to notify the Lam Dong Maritime Port Authority of the incident.
Local authorities, including the Ca Na Commune People’s Committee, Thuan Nam Medical Centre and Trung Nam Ca Na Port, are continuing to assist with emergency response efforts and are coordinating with relevant agencies to determine the cause of the incident. - Vietnam News/ANN
