Touching story of 3 Ly Son residents who survived 2 days drifting at sea

On the morning of November 9, Mr. Nguyen Minh Tri, Secretary of the Party Committee of Ly Son Special Zone (Quang Ngai Province) visited the Military-Civilian Medical Center of Ly Son Special Zone to visit and encourage three people who had just been rescued after nearly 48 hours drifting at sea.

Clip: Mr. Nguyen Minh Tri, Secretary of the Party Committee of Ly Son Special Zone, visits and encourages 3 people who have just been rescued. Produced by: DINH NHUT

The three victims were Mr. Le Van Sanh (Tay An Hai village), Mr. Phan Duy Quang and Mr. Duong Quang Cuong (both residing in Tay An Vinh village, Ly Son special zone). These were the people who participated in rescuing a person in distress at sea on the afternoon of November 6 and were then swept away by the waves and lost contact.

Mr. Le Van Sanh recounted: "When we saw Mr. Cuong jump into the sea, Mr. Quang and I didn't think about anything, we just tried to find a way to save him. After putting Mr. Cuong on the boat, big waves continuously pushed him away. The later it got, the stronger the waves became. There were times when I thought I couldn't hold on, but I only thought about my wife and children waiting at home, I had to live."

While drifting in the middle of the sea, Mr. Sanh picked up half a rotten apple and half a bottle of water with Chinese characters floating on the sea. “There were only apples and a little water to sustain us for two days,” he said. When they saw a cargo ship passing by, the three tried to wave for help but were unsuccessful. When the boat was overturned by the waves, the three were separated. “Before separating, Mr. Quang was exhausted, said he couldn’t hold on any longer, told us to keep swimming…”, Mr. Sanh emotionally recalled.

Mr. Nguyen Minh Tri, Secretary of the Party Committee of Ly Son Special Zone, visited the family at the Military-Civilian Medical Center of Ly Son Special Zone. Photo: DINH NHUT

While almost exhausted, Mr. Sanh continuously prayed to General Nam Hai, Lady Thien Y Na, and Bodhisattva Quan The Am to bless all three of them to survive.

Mr. Sanh was rescued by the An Vinh Express ship at a location about 56 nautical miles south-southeast of Ly Son Island. His health is now stable.

Also receiving treatment at the Ly Son Military-Civilian Medical Center, Mr. Phan Duy Quang - who was rescued by the Hai Nam 39 ship at 8:45 a.m. on November 8 - said: "At that time, I could no longer think of anything else. When I got on the ship and received medical care, I only thought of the two remaining people, hoping they were still alive."

All three returned safely on the evening of November 8. Photo: MAI TUAN

After regaining consciousness, Mr. Quang earnestly asked the ship to continue searching for the remaining two people. “I remember that at about 3 a.m. on November 8, Sanh and I were separated by waves. Cuong was swept away before that. I thought Sanh was still around that area, so I prayed that we could save him in time,” Mr. Quang shared.

Currently, the health of all three people is gradually stabilizing, and their mental health is being cared for and closely monitored at the Ly Son Military-Civilian Medical Center.

NGUYEN TRANG - DINH NHUT

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/loi-ke-xuc-dong-cua-3-nguoi-dan-dac-khu-ly-son-song-sot-sau-2-ngay-lenh-denh-tren-bien-post822569.html