Divers stop searching for missing crew of VTB 26 ship

(Baonghean.vn) - The remains of the ship were buried in mud and coal, inaccessible, rescuers decided to stop searching with divers, waiting to salvage the ship.

On the morning of July 21, Mr. Vuong Binh Minh, Director of Nghe An Maritime Port Authority, said that since early morning, about 20 ships and boats of all kinds have been running to the sea area where the VTB 26 ship sank to search for the two remaining crew members, including Nguyen Van Chieu - deck officer and Nguyen Hai Quyet - OS sailor, both from Hai Phong. This is the 5th day of search by the rescue force.

Rescue ship searching in Cua Lo sea area. Photo. TH

Meanwhile, 10 professional divers from Hai Phong have been given a break. “Some of the remaining compartments and holds are too deep filled with mud and coal. Divers cannot access them anymore. If we want to search the entire ship, we will have to salvage it,” said Mr. Minh, adding that many more vehicles will be needed to salvage the ship.

In response to suspicions that someone was trapped on the cliffs, on the afternoon of July 20, rescuers used a flycam to film for nearly 2 hours in the area of ​​Lan Chau and Ngu islands but had no results.

Flycam scanned the cliffs of Lan Chau Island and Ngu Island but got no results. Photo. TH

Previously, at around 2am on July 17, the 5,100-ton VTB 26 ship, carrying 4,700 tons of coal, sent a distress signal while anchored to avoid the storm at Hon Ngu Island (Nghe An). The ship then capsized, many crew members fell into the sea. On the first day of rescue, 7 crew members were rescued along with 2 other bodies. The remaining 4 people were missing. The ship sank about 3 nautical miles from shore, about 800m north of Hon Ngu Island. This area is about 10m deep.

The remains of the ship were buried in mud and coal, the diving team could not continue. Photo. PV

About 600 people from many forces participated in the rescue over the past 5 days. After the ship sank, although the rescue team determined that some people were still trapped in the ship, they could not mobilize divers to search because the waves were big and the water in this area was murky, obscuring visibility. On the third day of the search, when the divers entered the scene, a body was found trapped in a cabin on the second floor. Continuing the search, a day later, this force discovered another body buried in mud in the cabin on the second floor.

More than 4,000 tons of coal on the ship have also been washed into the sea.

Tien Hung