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Vietnam rescues 3 missing Indonesians from runaway barge

By VnExpress March 4, 2017 | 07:43 pm PT

Fruit sellers wait for customers at a floating market on Mekong River in Can Tho city, Vietnam April 2, 2016. Photo by Reuters

The barge broke loose from the tugboat that was pulling it from Cambodia to Thailand.

Vietnamese authorities have found and rescued three Indonesians who went missing off the southern coast after trying to anchor a runaway barge.

A local fishing boat spotted the Indonesians in waters between the southern provinces of Bac Lieu and Soc Trang at noon on Saturday, the Lao dong news site reported on Saturday, quoting Vo Minh Tien, director of the Maritime Administration of Can Tho City.

Soc Trang border guards and other forces were quickly dispatched to rescue the crewmembers, the daily said.

Vietnam’s maritime information authorities had issued a statement on Friday asking vessels around Can Tho to keep an eye out for the the barge, which had broken free from its tugboat.

The tugboat was towing the barge from Cambodia to Thailand. It arrived in Can Tho on Tuesday and resumed its journey on Thursday night, when the chain broke.

The captain ordered three members of the nine-strong crew to jump onto the barge and anchor it, but rough seas reportedly swept the barge away.

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