13-Hour Ordeal at Sea for Father and Daughter in Nghe An

On the afternoon of July 30, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Tung, 35 years old, and his daughter Nguyen Tran Phuong Anh, 6 years old, along with some relatives from Truong Vinh ward, Nghe An province, went to Xuan Thanh beach resort, Xuan Thanh commune, Ha Tinh province to have fun.

At 5:30 p.m., the sea was calm, so the father and son went swimming. Phuong Anh wore a life jacket, but Tung did not wear one, but brought a sup board, tied one leg to it, and planned to surf near the shore. He had surfed many times on a 1 meter wide, 3 meter long composite board to experience the thrill in the seas of Nghe An and Ha Tinh.

Preparing for this SUP trip, he brought a whistle, flashlight, parachute cord with a magnetic hook… in a small cloth bag worn on his person. In addition, he brought a spare inflatable buoy 40cm wide, 80cm long, tied to the board.

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Tung recounts the moment when father and son had an accident at sea in Xuan Thanh, on the morning of August 1. Photo: Duc Hung

Before he could surf, a wave about a meter high suddenly hit the shore, the water quickly receded and swept little Phuong Anh away. Mr. Tung immediately paddled his SUP to save his child, after a few dozen seconds he approached and helped her up.

When the waves calmed down, he discovered that the father and son had been swept away hundreds of meters from shore, so he called for help, but no one heard. The oars and rescue equipment in the cloth bag were swept away, and Phuong Anh’s life jacket was also snatched away by the waves, leaving the father and son with only a lifebuoy tied to the sup.

Identifying these two items as survival tools, Mr. Tung held on tightly, always attaching the sup to one leg, using the rope on the lifebuoy to tie Phuong Anh across her body. To prevent father and daughter from separating, he removed the elastic band from his shorts, tied one end to his waist, and the other end tightly to the life jacket his daughter was wearing.

It was dark, the rain was pouring down, and the father and son were drifting freely. In about an hour, he estimated that 3-4 big waves came, overturned the boat, and threw them both into the sea. Mr. Tung held his son tightly, let his legs wrap around his neck, and used all his strength to help him sit or lie down on the boat. This action was repeated many times during the night.

There was a time when Mr. Tung was exhausted, fell asleep and woke up when a new wave threw both of them about half a meter into the air and then crashed back down.

Having served in the military for two years, Tung shared that he has quite good swimming skills. When he no longer has a paddle, he uses his hands and feet to take turns paddling the sup. Sometimes he jumps down, holds on to the sup and pushes it towards a flickering light that looks like a lighthouse. Feeling the light dozens of kilometers away from the father and son, he is determined to push the tip of the board in that direction because “only by going there can he escape”.

During the first 4-5 hours of being swept away by the waves, Mr. Tung did not have the mind to think much, he set the goal of ensuring his daughter’s safety by all means. In the middle of the night, when the waves were calm, he asked his daughter: “Are you scared? I’m sorry. I’ll take you home. Wait a moment. Be strong, don’t cry, you are my strength.”

Phuong Anh was lying exhausted on the couch, constantly complaining that she was cold, but when encouraged, she reassured her father: “Dad, hang in there, I want to go back to Mom.” Every 5 minutes, Mr. Tung woke her up to check if she was shocked by water or had any problems.

Every time they were thrown into the sea and drank too much salt water, their mouths became dry. Taking advantage of the rain, he used a life buoy to catch water and tilted the buoy for both of them to drink. This quenched their thirst.

Drifting at sea in the dark of night, Mr. Tung said he never thought of the worst situation. His daughter was also brave and did not cry. Near dawn on July 31, seeing a ship hundreds of meters away, he intended to paddle his SUP to block it and ask for help, but before he could, the ship had gone, so he headed towards the light.

At dawn, he heard the distant sound of the ship’s engine. He knew this was the threshold of survival. He was determined to make sure the people on board could see him at all costs. He turned the bow of his boat and rowed toward the sound of the engine. When he saw the shape of the transport ship clearly, he stood on his boat and raised his hands above his head to signal for help.

Rescuers take baby Phuong Anh from the boat onto the transport ship on the morning of July 31. Photo: Duc Long

A few minutes later, the crew of the VINASINE 555 transport ship on its journey from Ninh Binh to Quang Ngai discovered someone in distress and approached the ship. Mr. Tung shook her gently, and Phuong Anh immediately jumped up. The sailors took turns bringing them both onto the ship.

The rescue team located the rescue location of Mr. Tung and his son near Mat Island, in Cua Lo Ward, more than 30 km from the initial accident site in the sea of Xuan Thanh Commune (Ha Tinh Province). The father and son lost contact for about 13 hours.

During the struggle with the waves, Mr. Tung suffered minor injuries, with blood on his stomach, it is unclear what he hit. After receiving medical care and food, both gradually recovered. “The moment my father and I were safe, I was extremely happy. Luckily, Phuong Anh was not injured,” he said.

Upon boarding the ship, Mr. Tung asked his wife to call him and inform him that his father and son were still alive. When he was brought ashore at noon on July 31, he was so moved that he could not speak. When Phuong Anh saw her mother, she threw herself into her arms and burst into tears.

The 35-year-old man said he was very grateful for the rescue efforts of the crew of the VINASINE 555 ship as well as the border guards and coast guard who searched all night. “The father and son were revived thanks to the rescue team, even if we thank them a thousand times, it would not be enough,” he said.

Phuong Anh burst into tears when she met her mother. Photo: Duc Long

Directly participating in the rescue, receiving two victims from the VINASINE ship and bringing them ashore, Major Vo Dang Duc, a medical officer at Lach Ken Border Post, Ha Tinh Province Military Command, assessed that Tung had outstanding health, good survival skills, courage, and effective handling of dangerous situations. Phuong Anh was very obedient, even though she was in trouble, she did not cry.

“In some cases, when falling into the water and seeing themselves being swept away from the shore, people often panic, cling to each other and then get into trouble together. But in this situation, Mr. Tung was calm, his daughter always knew how to hold on to her father’s neck to avoid being swept away for many hours. The father was very smart in knowing how to collect rainwater to drink for himself and his daughter to quench their thirst, and push the boat towards the light to find life,” said Mr. Duc.

According to Major Duc, receiving the news that the father and son were missing at 8:15 p.m. on July 30, 10 officers and soldiers of Lach Ken Border Guard Station coordinated with the coast guard and fishermen to search all night. When they heard that the victims were rescued by a transport ship, everyone burst into tears and breathed a sigh of relief.

Xuan Thanh Beach, where Tung and his father had the accident, is a famous tourist area in Ha Tinh province. The beach stretches over 5 km, with fine white sand and clear blue water, attracting many tourists to swim and enjoy seafood. However, whenever the sea is rough, some locals and tourists have had accidents while swimming in this area.

According to the Ha Tinh Meteorological Department, the weather in the northern plains and coastal areas (including Xuan Thanh commune) on July 30 is sunny, no rain at night, southwest wind level 2-3. The sea area has scattered showers and thunderstorms, visibility over 10 km, waves 1.5-2 m high.

Source: vnexpress.net