At around 13:30, as the vessel was passing east of Đầu Gỗ Cave, gusts of wind and heavy rain from a flash thunderstorm befell the ship. According to a survivor, passengers had asked the crew to return to shore, but the crew reassured them they were almost at their destination and kept going. [8] The storm eventually caused the ship to capsize, and contact with it was lost. [9] [10] The storm preceded the arrival of Tropical Storm Wipha; [11] Mai Văn Khiêm, the director of the National Center for Hydrometeorological Forecasting, said that the two storms were not related. [12] [10] The passengers were all Vietnamese and consisted mostly of families from Hanoi. [12] [10]
Rescue
Upon receiving reports of the sinking, Quảng Ninh's provincial authorities launched a rescue operation, mobilising military units, border guards, waterway police, naval special forces, and local search and rescue teams, along with dozens of rescue vessels and fishermen. The location of the accident was approximately 3 kilometres (2 nautical miles) offshore and weather conditions made access to the site difficult. [13]
Four other survivors clung to a floating wooden chair for hours before three of them were rescued; a man drowned after losing strength. One survivor recounted:
A few minutes later, three other men also surfaced and held onto a chair, thinking of a way to swim ashore. But after about 15 minutes, a man about 40 years old grew exhausted and let his hand go—perhaps he was too tired after diving out from inside the boat. He said, "Farewell, brothers, I'm going," then let go and slowly sank under the water. His final words and the look of despair in his eyes still haunt me. [14]
Other survivors described diving underwater to rescue other passengers lost admist the capsizing. One guided several to safety, including his mother, but lost his girlfriend, who drowned before he could rescue her. [15]
By 17:00 on 19 July, 10 people were rescued; seven by border guards and three by local fishermen. The number of initial survivors rose to 12, of whom 2 died later after being hospitalized, while the death toll reached 28, including 8 children. [16] At around 18:00, a 10-year-old boy was rescued by emergency teams. According to his account, after the boat capsized, he took shelter in an air pocket inside the boat, making his way out later. [17]
In the early hours of 20 July, the authorities began righting the vessel to aid the search for missing victims. The ship was righted by 02:00, after which four cranes lifted it fully above the waterline. Water was pumped from the hull, and four additional bodies were discovered inside, one of which was confirmed to be Trình, the captain. By that point, a total of 10 people had been rescued, 35 bodies were recovered, and 4 people remained missing. [18] The boat was then towed to shore. [4] The bodies of the four remaining missing passengers were found between 21 and 26 July. [19] [20] [21] [22]
