The Vietnamese Embassy in Malaysia on July 14th said it had confirmed the identification of three Vietnamese crewmen who died after inhaling poisonous gas aboard ship on July 12th.

The New Straits Times earlier reported the ship, MV Hi Ram, was 4.1 nautical miles southeast of Tanjung Penyusup on the night of July 12 when the incident occurred.

Tanjung Sedili District Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency's (MMEA) enforcement chief, Maritime Captain Amran Daud, said the agency received a distress call from the Vietnamese ship at 9.20pm. The MMEA team reached the ship about an hour later to provide emergency assistance.

The deceased were identified as captain Nguyen Duy Thai, chief officer Nguyen Dinh Hung, and master mariner Pham Van Quy. Two other crew members, Nguyen Van Quang and Luu Duc Thanh, were reported to have suffered dizziness.

The 22-year-old Thanh from Hai Duong city is receiving medical treatment at Kota Tinggi Hospital in Johor, Malaysia. Thanh is reportedly recovering, whilst Quang has been moved 60km to KPJ Johor Specialist Hospital, due to the seriousness of his condition.

A representative from the embassy said they were in contact with Malaysian authorities to assure the victims receive the best care./.

VNF/VNA