It is reported that one Vietnamese sailor is dead and three others missing while seven have been rescued from the Korean fishing boat, No. 1 Insung, which was sunken off Antarctica on December 13.

The dead sailor, said the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson Nguyen Phuong Nga, is Nguyen Tuong from the central province of Ha Tinh.

The 11 Vietnamese fishermen in the Korean ships mainly come from central Vietnam, mostly Ha Tinh province.

The three missing sailors include Nguyen Van Son, Nguyen Van Thanh and Nguyen Son Hao. They are presumed dead because they were not wearing any protective gear and the temperature is only two degrees Celsius.

Nga also said that the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry asked South Korea and New Zealand to promptly provide reasons for the catastrophe, identify dead persons and continue to closely coordinate with the Vietnamese side in protecting citizens and supporting people in distress.

The Overseas Labor Management Department and the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs told the manpower exporting companies that sent the sailors to South Korea to direct executives to study the case and coordinate with the Foreign Ministry and partners to ensure the rights and interests of the Vietnamese sailors.

The Overseas Labor Management Department said that the dead and missing sailors all came from Ky Anh district, Ha Tinh province.

According to Tuoi Tre Daily, the sailors were sent by five Vietnamese manpower exporting agencies - LOD Human Resource Development Corporation, Inmasco International Labor and Services Company, TTLC Labor Export and Services Company, Traenco Labor Export Company and one other.

According to LOD and Inmasco, they had been supplying fishermen to the Korean firm named In Sung Corporation, which owns the sunken ship, for the past 10 years. They each can earn from US$200 up to $1,000 and are insured by Vietnamese companies.

The Vietnamese Embassy in South Korea on December 13 issued a diplomatic note requesting Korean agencies to assist in the search for the three missing Vietnamese sailors.

The diplomatic note also asked the agencies to ensure the safety of rescued Vietnamese residents and hold funeral observances for one sailor who was confirmed dead.

The Insung Corporation spokesperson said the vessel may have been hit by an iceberg or a strong wave. The exact cause is not yet known but it went down in apparently calm waters 250 km south of New Zealand.

On board are eight Koreans, eight Chinese, 11 Vietnamese, 11 Indonesians, three Filipinos and one Russian.

Five have been confirmed dead and 17 others missing and presumed dead. The remaining 20 people were rescued by a Korean fishing vessel operating nearby.

Two New Zealand boats have stopped their rescues but three Korean trawlers still continue searching.

Source: Tuoi Tre/VNA/VNE