According to the Quang Nam Provincial Border Guard Command, the rescue teams deployed on three ships ended their search on the evening of October 22 and no more fishermen have been found.
The search was earlier scheduled to end on the evening of October 21.
However, it was extended by one more day until October 22 following requests from families of the fishermen at a meeting held on October 21 to review rescue work.
At the meeting, Quang Nam Border Guard commander, Tran Tien Hien, said that despite facing strong winds and rough seas, rescue forces have been fanning out across the area. However, the official admitted that there was now a high chance that they may not find the missing fishermen.
The two fishing boats sank on October 16 and 17 due to bad weather off the Spratly Islands. In total, 78 fishermen were safely rescued by passing vessels, two died and 13 others remain missing.
