Determining the cause of journalist's death in the river
Authorities initially determined that journalist Phuc was driving a scooter under the influence of alcohol and fell into the Dong Nai River after buying a ticket to take the Cat Lai ferry home.
Regarding the case of journalist Nguyen Vu Ton Phuc (born in 1975, from Dong Nai) working at the Education and Law Television Center, who was found dead floating on the Dong Nai River on August 28 (near Cat Lai ferry, District 2, Ho Chi Minh City), after many days of investigation, on September 11, Lieutenant Colonel Phan Thanh Hung - Deputy Head of the General Investigation Team - District 2 Police (Ho Chi Minh City) said that he had initially clarified a number of causes and determined that Mr. Phuc died from falling into the river.
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| Rescue team salvaged scooter from Dong Nai River |
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The location where Mr. Phuc fell into the river is on the bank of District 2, Ho Chi Minh City, about 10 meters from the pontoon bridge of Cat Lai ferry.
On September 11, District 2 Police searched and recovered the MAJESTY scooter that Mr. Phuc was driving at a depth of about 10 meters under the Dong Nai River.
In coordination with the Cat Lai ferry management board, checking the ferry's camera system showed that at around 0:00 on August 27, Mr. Phuc drove a motorbike into the ferry ticket purchase area and then drove a large scooter in an unsteady state onto the approach road but did not get on the ferry. At the head of the Cat Lai ferry bridge in Nhon Trach, Dong Nai, the camera did not record Mr. Phuc getting off the ferry.
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| Image of journalist Phuc passing through the ticket sales area to board the Cat Lai ferry on the District 2 side |
Initially, District 2 Police determined that the reason for driving the large scooter while drunk was because the newly purchased scooter was cumbersome and Phuc was not used to driving it, so he and the vehicle plunged into the river. At this time, the ferry had already left the dock, and the lighting in the ferry area was poor, so no one discovered the incident.
Previously, information from his family said that Mr. Phuc had been on a business trip in Vinh Long for many days. On August 26, he called home to inform his wife that he had just bought a scooter, went out drinking with some friends in Go Vap, and then returned home. He asked his family to wait at the door, but Mr. Phuc did not return home until the incident was discovered.
