The pain of the fishing village

(Baonghean) - Immediately after the news that the fateful ship with registration number NA93240TS captained by Bui Hoang Hiep had an accident, 8 fishermen working on the ship went missing, on the morning of December 17, 2 out of 8 crew members on the ship that had an accident were brought home by their relatives for burial. The fishing village of Minh Thanh, Quynh Long commune (Quynh Luu) was enveloped in a cold, mournful atmosphere. Wives and mothers cried, children cried in pain over the loss of husbands, children, and fathers...

Two months ago, in order to have the means to participate in offshore fishing, Mr. Bui Hoang Hiep and 4 other crew members saved up and borrowed money to buy a new 350 CV boat, worth over 1.2 billion VND. On December 3, the NA93240TS fishing boat set sail with 8 fishermen from Minh Thanh hamlet, Quynh Long commune (Quynh Luu). On this trip, all crew members hoped to have good luck at the end of the year. The first sea trip was successful beyond expectations, motivating the crew members to continue going offshore. Being in charge of their own labor, the crew members worked enthusiastically regardless of the wind and waves. After many days at sea, the boat's hold was full of fish, promising to be sold at a high price.

The ultimate pain of a family of a sailor in distress.

On the afternoon of December 16, the victim's family received news that fishermen in Phu Hai hamlet, Ky Phu commune (Ky Anh, Ha Tinh) had discovered two male bodies drifting ashore. Instinctively, the crew members' families immediately set out to verify the information. Immediately afterwards, the victim's family identified the two deceased crew members as Vu Van Bien (born in 1985) and Bui Van Hoai (born in 1984), both working on the fishing boat NA 93240 TS. Mr. Vu Ngoc Tuan - the person who directly went to Ha Tinh to identify the bodies - said bitterly: "When I got there and saw the silver bracelet, I knew right away that it was my nephew! So the ship really had an accident, Bien and Hoai are here, and I don't know where the other 6 are!"

The 8 fishermen working on the NA 93240 TS ship were all brothers, neighbors and from Minh Thanh village, Quynh Long commune. At around 1am on December 17, the bodies of the 2 crew members were brought back to their hometown for burial. The entire poor neighborhood was stunned by the great loss. Ms. Bui Thi Ly (born in 1984), wife of crew member Bui Van Hoai, cried in despair at her husband's altar: "Honey, please come back to the children! They are still very young!" Sitting next to their mother were the 3 young children of crew member Bui Van Hoai, the oldest was only 5 years old, the youngest just turned 1 year old. They were too young to feel the great pain. Looking up at the portrait of their father, seeing their mother cry, they could only cry too. Tears rolled down the children's faces, making everyone present unable to hold back their tears.

Right next to him was the family of sailor Vu Van Bien, in great pain the young wife cried out: "You won't come back to the child anymore, honey! The child doesn't even know your name yet, please come back to the child!" Ms. Van had just given birth to a child nearly 2 months ago and her health was very weak. Right after receiving the news, she had not eaten or drunk anything for many days, her family had to take turns to take care of her. Due to difficult family circumstances, Mr. Vu Van Bien had been at sea since he was 17 years old, the day he set sail he told his wife: "If this trip is successful, you won't have to worry about borrowing money to spend during Tet!"

Sharing the same alley is the house of sailor Bui Van Xao (57 years old). Relatives of his family also cried in pain and despair: "Come back to your mother, my child! It's so cold at sea! Come back to celebrate Tet, it's almost Tet, my child!", Mrs. Nguyen Thi Dong (82 years old) hugged her child's portrait and cried bitterly.

With her eyes staring into nothingness, Tran Thi Minh Hue (born in 1991), wife of crew member Bui Hoang Hiep, held her 4-month-old baby in her arms and asked her relatives in pain: “He hasn’t come back yet, Mom! Have you seen his boat come back?” The young wife’s questions made everyone heartbroken and unable to hold back their tears. The baby cried and demanded food, making his mother even more heartbroken. She hugged her baby tightly, choking with bitterness.

Currently, the 6 crew members working on the NA 93240TS ship are still missing. The crew members’ families and the authorities are working hard to search for them. However, the hope for their survival is very slim. These days, the atmosphere of mourning has enveloped the entire Minh Thanh fishing village…

Viet Hung - Hue Tinh

(Quynh Luu Radio)