Russian newspaper praises group of tourists rowing boat to rescue 30 people in Nha Trang flood

During the historic floods in Nha Trang, many Russian tourists rushed into the rushing waters to rescue stranded people. Another group made bread and cleaned up the beach with locals.

A group of Russian tourists recounted the moment they rescued people trapped in the historic flood in Nha Trang. Photo: Izvestia .

At the end of November, a group of Russian citizens living and working in Nha Trang ( Khanh Hoa ) told the Izvestia newspaper about their journey of rowing a boat into deep water to rescue people trapped in the recent historic flood.

The group of guests included young people from Korolev, Krasnogorsk (suburb of Moscow) and Crimea, who came to Nha Trang to develop their business. They said they were not professional sailors, but simply loved sailing.

As the flood situation in Nha Trang worsened, the Russian community here organized relief activities. Many volunteers formed contact groups, searched for boats and jet skis to take people out of the danger zone.

Heavy flooding at Ngoc Hoi roundabout (West Nha Trang ward, Khanh Hoa) on November 20. Photo: Quynh Long Hai.

Heavy rains flooded the entire city, cutting off many roads. Unable to get people to dry land, they rowed boats to high-rise buildings, using inflatable catamarans as rescue vehicles in heavy rain, cold water and strong currents.

"The water is very cold, people lose heat very quickly. Just one hour in the water can lead to hypothermia," said Vitaly Nalivayko.

Igor Lopunov, another member, said the strong current swept away cars and market stalls, making it difficult to reach the victims.

"Residents on the upper floors assisted by pointing out the location of the trapped people, helping us get to the right place and get them out in time," he said.

The first family the group rescued had 7 members, including 5 adults and 2 children, none of whom knew how to swim. The members had to put life jackets on each person and carry them across the deep water because they had been in the cold water for too long.

The team then went on to rescue two women and a boy who were trapped on the roof. At one point, the catamaran was carrying six people and three dogs. In total, they said they rescued about 30 people, not counting those taken to the hospital.

A group of Russian tourists cleaned up Nha Trang beach and made bread to send to flood victims in the Central region. Photo: Jain Pavlova.

Previously, speaking with Tri Thuc - Znews , Jain Pavlova said that she and a group of Russian, Belarusian, and Ukrainian friends connected through social networks and gathered to make bread to send to the flood-hit areas in the Central region.

On November 26, the group purchased a large quantity of bread crusts to support the finances of a bakery in Nha Trang, then stayed at the bakery to make the bread themselves. Each person was responsible for each step, from baking the bread, cutting vegetables, stuffing the filling, pouring sauce, adding chili, to packaging and loading into boxes.

"The Vietnamese people at the shop helped prepare the ingredients and guided us on how to bake the bread and the order of the ingredients. Bread is a Vietnamese specialty, quick to eat, doesn't require cooking, and is nutritious," Jain said.

The next day, 400-500 loaves of bread were transported by Nha Trang residents to Dak Lak , Gia Lai, Lam Dong provinces and some damaged areas in Khanh Hoa.

Jain said "something needs to be done for Vietnam right now." Although it was her first time making bread, she was still confused, but she hoped that people would feel warm and soon overcome the difficulties. The female tourist also joined the Russian community, residents and tourists from many countries to clean up trash and trees washed up on Nha Trang beach.

A Russian tourist used translation software and dragged his suitcase to the gathering point to ask for support from Nha Trang residents on the morning of November 24. Photo: Nguyen Wonbi.

The flood from November 16-22 in the South Central region is considered a rare extreme phenomenon, surpassing historical records. According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), this is an event with a very low frequency, with floods simultaneously breaking records in 3-5 basins, almost never occurring in more than half a century of monitoring.

Previously, the Prime Minister decided to provide emergency support to Khanh Hoa, Lam Dong, Gia Lai and Dak Lak with a total of 1,100 billion VND to overcome the damage.

In Ho Chi Minh City, about 18 goods donation points sent 211 tons of necessities to Khanh Hoa and 130 tons to Dak Lak, including food, medicine, clothes, and blankets.

Khanh Hoa is currently the locality that welcomes the most Russian tourists in the country. Over the past 10 months, more than 500,000 Russian tourists have come to Vietnam, ranking among the top 10 markets sending the most visitors.

Of these, in just 8 months, Khanh Hoa recorded more than 279,000 Russian visitors, an increase of nearly 300% over the same period last year. The National Tourism Administration assessed that Russia is one of the most prosperous international tourist markets, leading in the number of European visitors and having the strongest growth rate in our country.

Western tourists roll up their sleeves to clean up trash on Nha Trang beach. Chloe Vladimir (a Russian tourist) and her girlfriend spent 5 hours cleaning up trash on Nha Trang beach on November 23. Many foreigners also joined hands with local residents to overcome the consequences of record flooding.

Source: https://znews.vn/bao-nga-ca-ngoi-nhom-khach-cheo-thuyen-cuu-30-nguoi-trong-lu-nha-trang-post1607382.html