Three men swept out to sea by Typhoon Kalmaegi have been found alive after drifting helplessly for more than 40 hours off Vietnam’s central coast, according to rescuers and a family member.
The dramatic rescues took place Saturday during a multi-vessel search operation launched after the men disappeared Thursday afternoon. Typhoon Kalmaegi had slammed into Vietnam’s central region earlier, killing at least five people after leaving more than 200 dead in the Philippines.
According to state media, 44-year-old Duong Quang Cuong jumped into the water following a family dispute. Two others — Le Quang Sanh and Pham Duy Quang — rowed out in a small boat with life jackets in an attempt to save him, but their vessel overturned, sweeping all three far from shore and separating them.
The first man, Quang, was found Saturday morning by the Hai Nam 39 south of Ly Son Island, where the group had originally set out. The ship alerted authorities, who then deployed the An Vinh Express to assist in the search.
Phan Hau, 40, a sailor aboard one of the rescue vessels, said the crew was stunned to find survivors. “None of us thought he could still be alive,” he told AFP. “Most of us believed we were searching for a body.”
The rescue teams later spotted Sanh drifting alone and severely disoriented. In video captured by Hau, crew members can be heard calling his name and throwing him a life preserver. Sanh reportedly removed his life jacket earlier to signal passing boats, but it was lost in the waves.
Cuong, who first entered the water, was eventually found by a third rescue vessel closer to Ly Son.
As of Monday, all three men were recovering in hospital, though officials have not provided details of their conditions. Quang’s wife, Tran Thi Lau, said his health was “gradually stabilising,” and expressed gratitude for the rescue. “The happiness was overwhelming,” she said.