Two Drifting Survivors Rescued After Cargo Ship Sinks Off Vietnam

The crew of a cargo ship that went down off the coast of Vietnam last weekend had an extraordinary turn of good fortune. All were safely rescued, including two who went missing and spent hours drifting at sea. 

On Sunday morning, the border guard agency of Thua Thien Hue province received word that the crew of the cargo ship Gia Bao 19 needed help. The ship had sustained flooding in a hold through a broken pipe, and it foundered and went at 0445 hours. 

All nine crewmembers abandoned ship into a life raft, but two were swept away by high waves. A good samaritan vessel, the Haian Park, rescued the seven survivors in the raft at 1500 hours. They were handed over to the border guard for evaluation and medical care; two had minor injuries and were cared for by the agency's medical team. 

The other two crewmembers were initially thought to be lost at sea, and a search was launched. A good samaritan fishing vessel found them and rescued him later that day, and returned them safely to the port of Da Nang. 

Gia Bao 19 was a 1,900 dwt general cargo ship flagged in Vietnam.