Three Vietnamese sailors die from gas inhalation in ship's hold

Gas created by a shipment of molasses killed three sailors in the central province of Binh Dinh on Wednesday morning.

The sailors were working on the Thanh Cong 98, which was waiting to load another shipment of molasses at Tan Cang Port.

Nguyen Duc Quan, 27, and Pham Trong Hoa, 34, were overwhelmed by fumes created by molasses from a previous trip while checking the ship’s five-meter deep hold.

Bach Van Sau, 26, responded to the men's calls for help, but he too succumbed to the toxic gas.

The hold is believed to have been closed for an extended period, which allowed the gas to build up.

An initial investigation found that the ship lacked rescue equipment and gas masks.

The ship has suffered various problems before. Since it was launched in late March, it has been forced to dock twice due to technical faults.

The dead sailors were all relatives from Thanh Hoa Province, more than 900 kilometers (750 miles) north of Binh Dinh.

In September last year, three fishermen in Da Nang were also admitted to hospital after inhaling gas in their ship's freezer room. Two months prior to that, four fishermen died in a similar accident in the southern province of Soc Trang.