Overview of the Green Bay 58 ship capsized in Ha Long Bay: A trip turned into a disaster

Severe storms and sudden disasters

At 12:55 on July 19, the Blue Bay 58 boat was carrying 49 people, including 46 tourists and 3 crew members, on a tour of route 2 in Ha Long Bay (including Sung Sot Cave - Ti Top Island). At 13:30 on the same day, the boat encountered strong winds and then capsized. Some passengers managed to put on life jackets and jumped into the sea. However, most were trapped in the cabin or engine compartment. The boat lost its position signal at 14:05, marking the time of the accident.

The Green Bay 58 boat carrying 49 people, including 46 tourists and 3 crew members, capsized after a sudden storm. Photo: Pham Cong.

This is a wooden boat, built in 2015, has been inspected and licensed for tourism activities. However, the unexpected situation and the strong speed of the storm made it impossible for the crew to react.

Overnight rescue and cold numbers

Immediately after the accident, Quang Ninh province mobilized nearly 1,000 people and hundreds of vehicles, including rescue ships, fishing boats, specialized canoes, a team of special divers and many underwater sonar devices.

In particular, the police force mobilized 14 ships, high-speed boats and more than 200 officers and soldiers to directly coordinate with functional forces, deploying search and rescue measures throughout the night, in very bad weather conditions. The working groups continuously dived, searched, netted the bottom and expanded the search radius around the area where the ship capsized.

Quang Ninh province mobilized nearly 1,000 people and hundreds of vehicles to support rescue and search for victims through the night. Photo: Pham Cong.

Of the 49 people on board, there are currently: 10 survivors; 35 dead (bodies found); 4 people still missing including: Hoang VT, Hoang VH, Hoang TQ and Nguyen DK. P (born 2019).

By the morning of July 20, the bodies of 35 deceased victims had been found, forensic procedures had been completed, and they were handed over to their families for burial.

In addition, the ship Vinh Xanh 58 was also salvaged off the coast of Ha Long Bay, then towed back to shore by authorities to await processing.

The police force continues to coordinate closely with specialized units, mobilizing maximum human resources and means with the most urgent and active spirit, expanding the search on a large scale, including in coral reefs and rocky crevices along the islands, taking advantage of the golden hour to search for victims. According to forecasts, storm No. 3 has entered the East Sea, if the storm enters, the search will be forced to stop.

Shocking story about life and death moments

Still in shock after the accident, crew member Vu Anh Tu (born in 2000, residing in Quang Ninh), one of the 10 people rescued, said that the incident only lasted about 10 seconds, when a large wave hit the right side, causing the ship to tilt from right to left. "At that time, I was in the cabin, everything was dark, I didn't know how I escaped, I just saw myself floating on the sea surface," Tu recalled.

Anh Tu is still in shock after the incident. Photo: Thach Thao

In the same situation, Nguyen Hong Quan (born in 1985, from Nghe An ), a passenger visiting Ha Long Bay after a business trip, recounted the terrifying moment: just 30 minutes after departure, a storm arose, and wind and rain hit him while he was standing on the second floor of the ship. The ship capsized so quickly that he only had time to hold his breath and crawl down the stairs to escape. "I was hit by many things, but I tried to swim towards the light to rise to the surface of the sea," Quan said.

Mr. Dang Anh Tuan (36 years old, living in Hanoi) was lucky to escape death and said that the cruise ship had just left the dock when it started to rain heavily. The tourists asked to return to the port, but the owner of the ship, Vinh Xanh 58, encouraged them to continue because they were about to reach the first tourist destination.

Little boy Hoang Nhat M. (born in 2015), residing in Hoang Mai ward, Hanoi, was one of the youngest victims to be lucky enough to be saved. M. said that at the time of the incident, he was traveling with his family. When the ship capsized, he was lucky to get into an air compartment, where he tried to stay calm and waited for rescue forces to arrive. After being stuck for a while, he found a way to escape and was fortunately discovered by authorities and brought safely onto a rescue ship...

Questions of responsibility and timely support from the government

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha, along with leaders of ministries and sectors, were present at the scene to direct the rescue work and investigate the cause of the incident. Many questions have been raised: Why was there no earlier weather warning? Why was a rescue helicopter not used? Will the ship owner be held accountable?

Mr. Nguyen Van Cong, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee, answered the question of why helicopters were not used for rescue. Accordingly, after assessing the situation, the authorities said that using a rescue helicopter was not appropriate in this case because it would take about 15 to 20 minutes to get from shore to the scene. In addition, there was no landing point here. Therefore, to avoid other complicated and dangerous situations, helicopters were not used.

According to Mr. Nguyen Van Cong, using helicopters for rescue is not feasible. Photo: Thach Thao

Quang Ninh Province has requested an inspection of all operating tourist boats and tightened departure procedures, especially in unusual weather conditions. Wooden-hulled boats similar to the Green Bay 58 have also had their technical records and operating procedures reviewed.

Quang Ninh Provincial Police said that they will strictly handle the case after checking, and handle any mistakes accordingly. However, at this time, there is a very urgent time, so the Provincial Police are focusing on search and rescue work. Therefore, the handling will be announced publicly after investigating the related causes.

After the disaster, the People's Committee of Quang Ninh province supported 25 million VND/person who died, 8 million VND/person who was injured, and covered all the costs of transporting the bodies back to their hometowns. The provincial Fatherland Front Committee expressed gratitude with an additional 5 million VND and many businesses supported up to 40 million VND/person who died, 25 million VND/person who was injured.

Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee Tran Sy Thanh also signed and issued a dispatch on supporting and visiting the families of victims in the city in the capsized tourist boat Blue Bay 58 in Quang Ninh province. The Chairman of the City People's Committee requested: The Department of Health shall preside over and coordinate with the Department of Finance and relevant units to urgently advise the City People's Committee on policies to support the deceased victims and the injured. Arrange the best medical conditions to treat the injured. The Department of Home Affairs shall preside over and support the conditions for organizing a thoughtful funeral for the victims.

Vietnamnet.vn

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/nhin-lai-toan-canh-vu-tau-du-lich-vinh-xanh-58-bi-lat-tren-vinh-ha-long-2423807.html