Two ships collide in southern Vietnam, 1 dead, several missing

Two ships collided in southern Vietnam, leaving one person dead and seven missing.

Photo: Two ships collide in southern Vietnam, 1 dead, several missing

The vessel Gas Shanghai, registered in Marshall Islands, slammed into the Vietnamese Hoang Dat 36 ship near the mouth of the Saigon river, the online version of the Thanh Nien (Young People) newspaper said.

The body of a local sailor was recovered two hours after the afternoon incident, and rescuers were still searching for seven others who were reported missing, the report said.

The dead sailor and all those missing had been on the Vietnamese ship.

The Hoang Dat 36 vessel, which was transporting 2,000 tons of tin sheets from Jakarta, Indonesia with 16 Vietnamese sailors aboard, had been preparing to anchor when the accident occurred, the newspaper said.

It said eight other sailors on the Vietnamese ship swam to safety.

Port officials were not available for comment Tuesday.

The Gas Shanghai was being held by Vietnamese authorities for further investigation, the online VnExpress reported.