Province hands over Indonesian, Malaysian sailors rescued off Con Dao Island

A fishing vessel from the south-central province of Binh Thuan found vessel Samudra Indah II of Malaysia sinking at a place about 20 nautical miles northeast of Con Dao Island, which belongs to Ba Ria - Vung Tau, at 4:50 p.m. on Jan. 29, and saved 11 crew members drifting at sea.

Being notified of the incident, the Ba Ria - Vung Tau Border Guard Command asked for coordination from relevant forces and vessels operating near the area to search for the missing and bring the 11 rescued sailors to Con Dao.

The sailors were safely brought to Con Dao island at 10:50 p.m. on the same day.

At the hand-over event, Encun Asun, a crew member of Samudra Indah II, said they had gone adrift for 17 hours before being rescued by Vietnamese fishermen.

Border guards of Ba Ria - Vung Tau arranged accommodation, supplied essential items, and sent doctors to examine their health, he said, adding that they will never forget these deeds.

Indonesian Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City Agustaviano Sofian thanked the Vietnamese authorities and fishermen for saving and caring for the crew members as well as handing over them to the consulates general for repatriation.