Eleven fishermen from HCM City seeking shelter from Typhoon Bualoi endured a harrowing ordeal early Sunday off the coast of Cửa Việt in Quảng Trị province, when one vessel sank and another was left disabled amid pounding waves.
Eight crew members have been rescued, while three remain missing as search and rescue operations continue.
At around 6 a.m., a relative of one fisherman alerted authorities that both vessels were stranded about 1.5 km from the mouth of the Cửa Việt channel.
Officials confirmed that one crewman from the sunken vessel swam safely to shore. The seven crew on the disabled boat, however, became trapped along the breakwater.
Rescue forces responded quickly, with the Quảng Trị Border Guard deploying vessel CN-09 and 12 personnel.
Heavy rain and violent waves initially hampered operations, but by 8:30 a.m., a small fishing boat from a nearby village reached the stranded crew and brought all seven to safety.
The three missing fishermen from the sunken vessel were last seen on deck before it submerged and are believed to have jumped into the sea in an attempt to swim ashore. Their fate remains uncertain.
According to Việt Nam’s National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, at 7a.m. Sunday, the eye of Typhoon Bualoi was over the sea between Quảng Trị and Đà Nẵng, about 170 km east of Huế.
The storm carried sustained winds of 118-133 km/h (Category 12), with gusts up to level 15, moving west-northwest at around 30 km/h. Landfall was expected along the Quảng Trị – Nghệ An coast by afternoon.
Coastal waters from Thanh Hóa to Quảng Ngãi, including islands such as Cồn Cỏ and Lý Sơn, are forecast to experience increasingly severe winds, ranging from level six to 9, rising to 10-13 near the storm’s center, with waves reaching five to seven meters and very dangerous sea conditions.