VietNamNet Bridge – This morning, cargo ship Sima Saphire collided with a fishing vessel carrying 16 Vietnamese fishermen off the coast of Vung Tau. A body has been found; seven others are missing.

Mr. Le Van Chien, Director of Vung Tau port authorities said at 2am on September 16, Sima Saphire, a cargo vessel of Singapore which was running from HCM City to Malaysia, crashed into a fishing boat with 16 fishermen of Tien Giang province about 50 nautical miles to the south of Vung Tau. The fishing boat was sunk after the crash. Eight people were rescued by the Singaporean ship. The rest are missing.

Shortly after the relevant agencies were informed of the incident, they sent two rescue vessels to search for the victims and called for fishing vessels operating in the area to join the search.

At 8:30, two helicopters were mobilized to search the victims. At 9am this morning, a victim's body was found but seven others are still missing.

Ngan Ha