~ Le Viêt Nam, aujourd'hui. ~
The Vietnam News

Year :      [2006]      [2005]      [2004]      [2003]      [2002]      [2001]      [2000]      [1999]      [1998]      [1997]

Vietnam's typhoon Chanchu toll over 240 as sea search ends

HANOI - Vietnam has called off its search for sailors hit by Typhoon Chanchu in the South China Sea two weeks ago, with 21 bodies found and 220 missing fishermen presumed dead, a rescue official said. "After more than 10 days of intensive search and rescue operations from May 20, the chance of finding survivors has become very small, so we decided to stop the search on Friday," said the official.

Authorities had recovered 21 bodies, and 220 sailors were still listed as missing from three central Vietnamese provinces, said Vo Ha Trung of the National Search and Rescue Centre in Hanoi. Chanchu, the strongest typhoon recorded in the month of May in the region, sank at least 17 fishing boats when it caught the sailors off-guard in waters more than 1,000 kilometres (600 miles) from home. Chinese rescue vessels gave emergency aid to more than 330 Vietnamese sailors on 21 ships near the remote island of Dongsha, southeast of Hong Kong, supplying them with water, food and fuel after the storm.

Vietnam's Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has ordered a review of the national meteorological service, which had issued only 24-weather forecasts to the fishermen, compared to 48 and 72-hour forecasts common elsewhere. The head of the service, Le Cong Thanh, has since stepped down.

Agence France Presse - June 3, 2006.