15 Vietnamese Fishermen Feared Lost After Ship Collision

A ship collision off southern Vietnam has left 15 fishermen missing and feared drowned. The small Vietnamese fishing boat collided with an unidentified cargo ship in the South China Sea near the port town of Vung Tau on Friday night, according to reporters. The fishing boat, registered in southern Kien Giang province, overturned and sank with 17 crew on board. A nearby boat rescued two fishermen but 15 were still missing and searches Saturday yielded no sign of them, the newspaper said. Authorities had no information on the cargo ship, which left the scene. In March, eight Vietnamese fishermen drowned in a similar collision off Vung Tau, in which a cargo ship kept going after hitting a fishing ship. Authorities later identified a Singapore-owned cargo ship as responsible for the accident. The ship's Romanian captain is being held pending investigation on charges of negligence.