Sailors Rescued From Stranded Indian Ship

The Vietnamese embassy is working closely with Indian authorities to assist three Vietnamese sailors rescued from a Taiwanese trawler that wrecked near a western Indian island. The crew of 33 jumped into the turbulence sea after their fishing vessel Isabella III ran aground on a reef off the western coast of the uninhabited Suhaili island of Lakshadweep on July 15. The Vietnamese sailors, including Phan Cong Duc (24 years old) Nguyen Minh De (26), and Nguyen Van Cuu (1980), and other Taiwanese, Chinese and Filipino crewmates were safe and receiving treatment on the western Indian island of Kavaratti, spokesman of the Vietnamese’s Foreign Ministry said.While 32 of them eventually swam to safety on their own, one had to be rescued by a coast guard helicopter. Spokesman Le Dzung said the Vietnamese embassy in India and the Vietnamese Consulate in Mumbai had contacted the Indian Coast Guard concerning the case. The vessel, flying the Seychelles flag was traveling from Oman to Singapore, said an official press release of Indian authorities. It was carrying 190 tons of engine oil, though no oil spill had been reported.