On the morning of April 26, Colonel Tran Tuan Anh, Commander of the Border Guard Command of Quang Ngai province, said that the authorities had brought 4 bodies from the barge sinking on Ly Son sea to Dung Quat port ( Quang Ngai).
The identities of the 4 victims found include: Tran Minh Phuc (51 years old, from Quang Ngai), Vo Nhu Song (51 years old, from Tien Giang), Dang Van Uoc (57 years old) and Dang Van Nhung (40 years old, with hometown Long An).
Rescuers brought the victim’s body to shore
Through investigation, all four victims were not on the crew registration list at departure. Among them, victim Tran Minh Phuc was identified as an excavator driver who was on a boat pulling a barge to the Ben Dinh port breakwater construction project.
According to the crew list reported by the chartering unit to the authorities before departing at Ky Ha port (Quang Nam), there are 5 people: Vo Tan Khuong, Vo Van Nhieu and Bui Minh Tri (Quang Ngai province). ; Pham Van Hiep, Dang Minh Phuong (Long An province). Since the accident, family members have not been able to contact these 5 people.
There was an incident on the barge
Mr. Vo Minh Thong (64 years old, a relative of Mr. Vo Van Nhieu, residing in Ly Son district), said that in the list of crew members on the sunken tugboat and barge, there were 3 people on Ly Son island. “Since receiving information about the sinking of the barge, family members and relatives have been searching for the past 2 days with no trace. We pray for a miracle to happen,” Mr. Thong said.
Crew members on the barge took pictures before leaving the dock
On the afternoon of April 25 and the morning of April 26, rescue forces mobilized many vehicles and expanded the search area for missing victims to a range of more than 60 nautical miles; 2 drones and a team of divers were also mobilized to participate in the rescue… The authorities also issued a notice asking cargo ships and fishing boats operating in Quang Ngai waters to coordinate the search.
Before that, as Nguoi Lao Dong Newspaper reported that at about 4 a.m. on April 24, tugboat LA-06695 towing barge LA-06883 was moving from Ky Ha port (Quang Nam) to Ly Son island district (Quang Ngai), on the journey to the coastal area. About 3 nautical miles from Ly Son island, the tugboat had an accident and sank, causing the barge to sink with it. This vehicle is transporting rocks to the contractor constructing the Ly Son breakwater – a 250 billion VND project to break waves for Ben Dinh port. Initially, the authorities determined that the barge carrying rocks was too heavy in high wind conditions, so it sank.
