Lighthouse keepers swept away by strong wave

Two lighthouse keepers went missing in Binh Thuan Province after being washed away by a strong wave on December 21.

Two lighthouse keepers went missing in Binh Thuan Province after being washed away by a strong wave on December 21.

   

Lighthouse keepers swept away by strong winds

At 6 am on December 21, a 49-year-old man and a 50-year-old man working at Hon Hai Lighthouse near Phu Quy District were swept away while checking the storm prevention equipment. They were standing on the pier when the wave came.

The other two keepers of the lighthouse immediately ran out and attempted to throw them a lifebuoy and plastic cans into the sea but the men were swept away too quickly.

After receiving the report, the border guards in Binh Thuan sent lifeboats and called for the fishermen working nearby to look for the missing keepers. However, they remained missing as of 11 am on the same day.

The South-Central Maritime Safety Company has sent an urgent document to the Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Centre for Zone 4 and the authorities to work together on finding the missing keepers. A navy ship in zone 3 is on the way to the missing location to help with the search and rescue mission.

However, due to the impacts of Storm Krovanh, strong waves and winds on the sea have badly affected the mission. The Hon Hai Lighthouse is 32 nautical miles away from Phu Quy Island.