Tourist boat capsizes on Han River, nearly 50 people in distress

At around 8:45 p.m., a tourist boat carrying many excellent students from a large family and some foreign guests capsized 20 meters from the Da Nang swing bridge, causing all the guests to fall into the river.

- 43 people were taken to hospital, at least 3 people are missing including 2 children.

- Among the victims were 21 family members and many foreigners.

- Police knocked on every hotel door to determine the exact number of missing people.

- The rescue team divided into many groups to take turns searching through the night.

- Two layers of fishing nets, 10 trawlers working together with canoes to survey the entire 2 km river section.

• 21:30

  At around 9pm, the tourist boat was traveling from Thuan Phuoc Bridge to Han River Swing Bridge, stopped in front of the Novotel Hotel and capsized. About 10 people on board were able to swim and were able to get out, the rest were missing.

  The entire Han River Port area in front of the Novotel Hotel was blocked off by hundreds of police. Three ambulances were dispatched to the old wharf to take turns transporting the first victims ashore to Da Nang Hospital for emergency treatment.

  Police blockade Han River Port. Photo: Nguyen Dong.

  On the river, many tourist boats and police canoes searched for victims.

  Present at the scene, Colonel Le Van Tam, director of Da Nang Police, said the exact number of people missing in the river had not been determined.

  According to a witness, most of the people on the ship that crashed were from the same family, including many children.

• 22:00

  Lieutenant Colonel Tran Khanh, deputy head of Hai Chau District Police, said the tourist boat was carrying nearly 50 people. The boat sank about 20 meters from the Han River swing bridge. The waterway police and the Da Nang Border Guard are coordinating the search. "We don't know how many people have been rescued yet, but the search team reported that someone died," he said.

  A baby is given emergency treatment at the hospital. Photo: I love Da Nang.

• 22:10

  The Da Nang Lovers Community Group said that about 20 people were rescued, including 4 children who were transferred to the hospital. One case is being actively resuscitated.

  At the scene, the wrecked ship is being pulled ashore.

  The river section where the accident occurred. Photo: I love Da Nang.

• 22:15

  12 commandos of Military Region 5 and 28 divers searched the river together in the hope of finding the victims as soon as possible before they were pushed away.

  Divers and underwater commandos join the search for victims. Photo: Nguyen Dong.

• 22:20

  Rescued from the riverbed, a victim said that there were life jackets on the boat but most people were not given them so no one was wearing one when the boat capsized and sank.

  Authorities and many people were on duty to monitor the rescue. Photo: Nguyen Dong.

• 22:40

  A South Korean tourist was rescued from the capsized boat. Her face was bewildered as she was treated by doctors. Photo: Nguyen Dong.

• 22:45

  Waterway police of Da Nang City Police patrol the river. Photo: Nguyen Dong.

• 22:55

  Ms. Nguyen Thi Huyen (white shirt, from Bac Kan) said that to celebrate her children's excellent academic achievements, her family organized a trip for 21 people to Da Nang. The boat sank about 100 meters after leaving the dock, and only 19 people have been found.

  Ms. Huyen burst into tears. Chairman Huynh Duc Tho came to comfort her. Photo: Nguyen Dong.

• 23:00

  Under the direction of Chairman of the Da Nang People's Committee Huynh Duc Tho, the rescue team coordinated with fishermen to spread two layers of trawl nets on the riverbed to search for the victims. "This is the last resort," Mr. Tho said in a tense mood. He stood directly on the fishermen's boat to observe the netting.

  Chairman of Da Nang People's Committee Huynh Duc Tho directly commanded the rescue at the scene. Photo: Nguyen Dong.

• 23:15

  Special forces of Military Region 5 were mobilized to search. Major General Ngo Quy Duc, Chief of Staff of Military Region 5, assigned the task of searching for the victims to ensure absolute safety. If a situation occurred where the special forces were in trouble, the team leader would be disciplined.

• 23:30

  A rescue boat reached the shore, but only carried 4-5 suitcases containing passengers' belongings.

  The 115 ambulance driver said he had transferred about 30 victims to the hospital, while the family of Ms. Nguyen Thi Huyen (Bac Kan) had not yet found her two children.

  At this time, relatives of many victims, including foreign tourists and thousands of people gathered to watch the rescue.

• 23:40

  The sunken ship is named Thao Van 2, registration number DNa 0016, owned by Mr. Vo Quoc Hung, piloted by Le Chi Cong. The ship has a capacity of 28 seats, was inspected on May 19 and has an expiration date of November 20.

• 23:45

  The capsized boat drifted about 300 meters from its original position. Rescuers tried to anchor the boat with nets that had been set up.

  Several special forces and rescue ships were sent from Quang Nam to Da Nang.

According to VNE