HCM City suspends all hydrofoils for inspection
The
move, following the fire on a hydrofoil on January 20 in the Saigon
River, aims to detect all unqualified vehicles to ensure passenger
safety.
In a meeting with relevant agencies to seek
solutions to the accident, Chairman of the Committee Le Hoang Quan
directed the municipal police to set up an investigation team to find
out the cause of the fire.
On January 20, the SG
3837 hydrofoil operated by Vina Express JSC was carrying 85 Vietnamese
and foreign passengers as well as seven crew from Ho Chi Minh City
to Ba Ria-Vung Tau when the blaze began not far from the city’s District
7.
After being informed of the
accident, Ho Chi Minh City port authorities coordinated with the
Border Guard, waterway traffic police and other forces to take immediate
action to save the boat.
All the passengers were brought ashore safely and taken on to Ba Ria-Vung Tau by car.
Local firefighters are working hard to prevent about 2,000 litres of oil from spreading in the river.
The dozens year-old hydrofoil, with a maximum capacity of 132 passengers, underwent a safety inspection on January 17.
Currently, there are 14 hydrofoils operating in the city, mainly on the Ho Chi Minh City - Vung Tau route.
Municipal leaders also asked the Department of Transport to increase
vehicles on the route to meet passenger demand as all hydrofoils’
operations have been halted for inspection. They also directed the
Department of Fire Prevention and Fire to organise more drills to stay
active in responding to waterway disasters.-VNA