Massive fire engulfs cruise ship in southern Vietnam

Phuong Nam cruise ship burst into violent flames upon leaving 4km from Ha Tien archipelago. 21 passengers and 4 crew members on board were safely rescued.

Jasmine Le

lehang1997hanu@gmail.com August 07, 2020 | 23:05

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The cruise ship was almost burnt down (Photo: VNE)

Five minutes upon leaving Ha Tien archipelago Thursday morning, the cruise ship sparked fire at the engine room.

As the fire started to grow stronger, the captain calmly steered the ship against the wind, allowing the fire to drift towards the stern. In the meantime, crew members were quick to rush all the guests down to the safe corner on the ship.

A rescue personnel of 60 people and several lifeboats, Ha Tien International Border Guard Station, Ha Tien City Police were immediately dispatched to the scene. Many locals also joined the rescue team.

Of the 21 guests, there were 5 children, 7 women. Panicked ones were reassured by the rescue team.

(Video: VNE)

“Within about 7 minutes, the rescue team approached the fierce burning ship, safely brought all the stranded passengers and crew members ashore”, captain Vu Vien Tuong was quoted by VNE as saying.

The fire then enveloped the hull, black smoke rose tens of meters high. The flame was completely extinguished at about 10 am.

There are no casualties, however, the ship which measures 21 meters long and 5.6 meter wide was almost burnt down.