Story of a surviving crew member on a sunken cargo ship in Nghe An

(Baonghean.vn) – “When I just got to the cockpit, the waves hit the side of the ship hard, water flooded into the cockpit and threw everyone into the sea,” said crew member Ly Van Giang, a mechanic on the VTB 26 ship.

» Boat sinking in Nghe An: 7 people rescued, 3 bodies found, 3 people still missing

» List of 6 rescued crew members on the sunken ship in Nghe An

At Cua Lo General Hospital, crew member Ly Van Giang - mechanic of cargo ship VTB 26, still in shock, said that at about 1:55 am on July 17, when the ship was anchored in the area of ​​Ngu Island (Cua Lo Town), it encountered big waves and strong winds. At that time, the captain pressed the alarm button and asked the crew members on board to put on life jackets and gather in the cockpit.

Crew member Ly Van Giang shared with Nghe An Newspaper reporter.

“When we just got to the cockpit, a big wave, accompanied by strong winds, hit the side of the ship, causing it to tilt. Because the water rushed into the cockpit, everyone was thrown in different directions. At that time, I only knew that I was thrown into the sea, but I didn’t know how the other crew members were doing,” said crew member Giang.

According to Mr. Giang, due to the urgent situation, some of the crew members were able to put on life jackets, but some others were not able to.

When falling into the sea, Mr. Giang and the captain of the VTB26 ship, Pham Van Hai, drifted close together. “At that time, I was shocked, confused and worried. But luckily, Mr. Hai encouraged and reassured me, so I was somewhat less afraid. After drifting at sea for 7 hours, the two brothers were rescued by the cargo ship Lam Hong 99. Only then did I know for sure that I was still alive.”

Crew member Ly Van Giang is 24 years old this year, from Kien Thuy district, Hai Phong province and is currently unmarried. Giang has served on the VTB 26 for 13 months now. “This is the first time I have experienced such an incident so I am still in shock,” Giang shared.

Provincial leaders and representatives of functional agencies visited and encouraged captain of ship VTB26 Pham Van Hai. Photo: Pham Bang

Of the 13 crew members on board the VTB 26 that had an accident, Nguyen Van Sang (from Thanh Hoa) was the most seriously injured so far. Sang said weakly: “I don’t remember what time the accident happened. I only remember that the waves were very big and the ship was shaking constantly. Hearing the alarm, we quickly put on our life jackets and went to the cockpit.

As soon as we got there, the boat tilted, then the waves hit the cabin and it capsized. In a split second, I saw a few people thrown out of the cabin door and fall into the sea. A moment later, I met a mechanic named Tien, and we clung to each other. Then a big wave hit and separated us. When Tien left, I was also wearing a life jacket.

Mr. Sang was rescued by Thanh Thanh Dat 35 ship this morning near the area of ​​the ship accident. As soon as he was brought to shore, Mr. Sang was transferred straight to Cua Lo General Hospital for emergency treatment. Currently, Mr. Sang's health is recovering well.

Sitting in a hidden corner, his face still full of worry while taking care of his son on the hospital bed, Mr. Ngo Canh Hung (born in 1963), from Xuan Hoa commune, Nam Dan district - father of sailor Ngo Cao Cuong (born in 1992) said that on the morning of July 17, he received a call from his daughter in the South informing him about the press reporting that a coal cargo ship had gone missing in the waters of Nghe An during storm No. 2. Thinking that his son was on this cargo ship, Mr. Hung hurriedly called the ship owner to ask about his son but could not contact him.

“I couldn’t sleep all night because of the storm until morning when I heard that a coal ship had an accident. I didn’t know what happened to my son, and my whole family was very worried,” Mr. Hung said. At noon on July 17, he received a phone call from the search and rescue team saying that his son was lucky to survive because Mr. Cuong had put on a life jacket when the ship sank.

Leaders of Cua Lo Town People's Committee visited the captain of ship VTB26 to inquire about his health. Photo: Pham Bang

As of 8:00 p.m. on July 17, authorities had searched for and rescued seven crew members of the VTB 26 and discovered and recovered two bodies. One of the bodies was identified as crew member Nguyen Van Lam, deputy engineer of the VTB26.

It is now dark in the Nghe An sea area, making the search more difficult. The fishermen's boats have returned to the mainland. Search and rescue operations at sea are still underway, and rescue ships are ready to respond when new crew members are discovered./.

Pham Bang