Three people are dead after a boat cruise capsized on Da Nang's Han River last Saturday, calling attention to larger issues surrounding the management of the central city's port.
According to Zing, the 28-seater Thao Van departed for a night cruise along the Han River with 56 people on board. Around 15 minutes into the trip, the boat capsized and sank due to overcrowding, sending its passengers into the water.
While the majority were picked up by rescue teams shortly after the incident, three victims remained missing for nearly 24 hours. Local authorities mobilized both military and civilian divers and search teams to ply the waters near the accident site in an effort to find the missing victims, according to VnExpress.
Eventually, around 4:45pm on Sunday afternoon, the remaining passengers were found. Fishermen came upon the body of 46-year-old Pham Tan Cuong, a tourist from Binh Dinh province, near Thanh Khe Beach. Shortly thereafter, search teams found the two others, seven-year-old Trinh Thi Phuong and her four-year-old brother Trinh Huy Hoang.
In the wake of the accident, Da Nang's People's Committee president Huynh Duc Tho has handed down fierce reprimands to Han River port authorities, suspending two high-ranking port officials Le Sau, director of Da Nang's domestic Port Authority, and Nguyen Cong Hieu, captain of Da Nang's port management, reports Tuoi Tre.
The People's Committee leader called the port's leadership “weak”.
“If you're irresponsible, unaware of what you're doing and unable to report things promptly, then I hereby release you from your duty,” Tho said, according to Tuoi Tre. “No one can accept an incompetent official who risks other people's lives.”
The leader also commended rescue teams for their efforts in bringing most of the boat passengers to safety.
For the time being, authorities have suspended all boating activities on the Han River. Colonel Nguyen Van Chinh, deputy director of the Da Nang Police, assured the media that his organization will be investigating both the boat's owner and its driver in addition to launching a larger inquiry into negligence at the local port.
As of this morning, Colonel Tran Muu, captain of the investigation team, was confident in the city's next steps.
“In addition to the responsibilities of the ship-owner and the driver, we will consider other related individuals and organizations and take drastic measures to get to the bottom of this,” he told VnExpress.
[Photo via Zing]
