Barge sunk by 5,000-ton ship on Saigon River

The strong impact punctured the barge, water flooded in and it quickly sank, leaving only the cabin above water.

On the afternoon of August 13, a limestone barge traveling on Nha Be River (HCMC) was sunk by a ship. Four people on the barge jumped into the river and were rescued in time.

At 5:00 p.m., Captain Le Thanh Hung (43 years old, living in Can Tho) was driving a 600-ton barge carrying limestone from Kien Giang to Dong Nai. When passing through the Nha Be River junction (Binh Khanh commune, Nha Be district), he was hit by the Thanh Liem 09 ship with a capacity of 5,000 tons running in the opposite direction.

The sunken barge left only its bow. Photo: An Nhon

The strong impact punctured the barge, water flooded in and it quickly sank, leaving only the cabin above water. Four people on the barge, including Captain Hung, chief engineer Vu Hung Thang (56 years old), two sailors Duong Van Ngon (56 years old) and Vu Van Hoat (43 years old), quickly jumped into the river.

Hearing the cries for help, Dai Minh Rescue Company staff working nearby immediately dispatched a boat and canoe to rescue all four victims and bring them safely to shore.

The Thanh Liem ship was detained for investigation. Photo: An Nhon

"The force of the collision was very strong. Luckily, the incident happened when it was still light and rescue forces arrived in time, otherwise our lives would have been in danger," crew member Vu Van Hoat (43 years old) recounted.

The Thanh Liem ship in the incident was not damaged and was detained while authorities investigate./.

According to vov.vn - LT