Ba Ria – Vung Tau: Over 300 Sri Lankan citizens in distress saved at sea

The fishing vessel LADY R3 (Photo: VNA)

Ba Ria-Vung Tau (VNA) – A total of 303 Sri Lankan nationals whose boat faced a serious incident in the waters off the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau have been saved.

At 6pm on November 6, the Myanmar-flagged fishing vessel LADY R3, which was carrying the 303 passengers to Canada, broke down and drifted at sea about 258 nautical miles to the southeast of the province’s Vung Tau cape. Encountering the incident coupled with strong wind, the ship sent out a mayday.

Upon receiving the distress signal, the Region 3’s maritime search and rescue coordination centre urgently searched the waters to find the fishing vessel.

From 3:30 to 5:30pm on November 7, Japanese cargo ship HELIOS LEADER, en route from Japan to Singapore, approached the LADY R3 and brought all the 303 passengers on its board.

On November 8, the Japanese vessel is expected to transport the Sri Lankans ashore and hand them over to Ba Ria-Vung Tau authorities./.

VNA