Protective suits of sunken ship crew found washed ashore in Nghe An

(Baonghean.vn)- Border guards found a protective suit washed ashore, identified as the outfit worn by the crew of the VTB 26 ship before the accident. The diving team also temporarily stopped searching the ship.

Clip of Mr. Le Van Cach - diving team leader from Hai Phong talking about the search for the missing crew of VTB 26 ship on July 19:

At around 3:00 p.m. on July 19, the search force of Nghe An Border Guard discovered a protective suit washed ashore in Nghi Thiet Commune (Nghi Loc District). The suit was painted with the words “Hai Phong” as well as the code and name of the ship VTB 26.

“Bodies and surviving crew members of this ship were also found wearing this suit,” a border guard officer said, adding that the area where the protective suit was found was about 7 km from the sunken ship.

Protective suits found on Nghi Thiet beach. Photo. TH

Also on the afternoon of July 19, nearly 20 vehicles including SAR ships, border patrol ships, canoes, jet skis, etc. were still trying to find the remaining 3 crew members. At around 3:30 p.m., the diving team decided to temporarily stop searching inside the ship and return to shore to wait for the next morning to continue diving. The search team expected it would take a long time to find the entire ship. “This ship has 3 floors and a cockpit, nearly 100 meters long. After it capsized, all the furniture and belongings on the ship were turned upside down. Therefore, the search is very difficult,” said a border patrol officer.

The divers have temporarily stopped searching because the dive time at sea is too long. The divers will continue tomorrow morning. Photo: Thanh Duy.

A diver said that most of the coal on the ship had been dumped into the sea, only a small amount remained inside the ship. Tomorrow, the diving team will continue searching other nooks and crannies of this sunken ship.

This suit has the name of the ship that crashed on it. Photo. TH

Meanwhile, two pairs of fishing trawlers were also mobilized to search. One pair was tasked with running from Cua Hoi beach to Cua Lo, the other pair was tasked with running from Cua Lo to the end of Dien Chau district's sea.

Previously, at around 2:00 a.m. on July 17, the 5,100-ton VTB 26 ship carrying 4,700 tons of coal sent a distress signal while anchoring to avoid the storm at Hon Ngu Island (Nghe An). The ship was later discovered capsized. 13 crew members fell into the sea, of which 7 were rescued and 2 died.

On the morning of July 19, after breaking the door, the diving team found the body of Nguyen Van Duong (29 years old, from Hai Phong), trapped in the second-floor cabin. Duong was the engineer officer on the ship. Currently, the victims are alive and the bodies have been handed over to their families.

Tien Hung - Thanh Duy