Hanoi (VNA) – One Vietnamese sailor has died and two others are stillmissing after the Vietnamese oil tanker Aulac Fortune caught fire off the coastof Hong Kong on January 8, reported the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

There were 27 crew members on board, including 25Vietnamese and two Hongkongers. Three other Vietnamese crew members wereinjured and sent to hospital. The remaining 19 are in safe conditions.

The incident occurred when the 17,500-tonne tanker wasbeing refuelled by an oil barge.

Hong Kong authorities deployed three rescue vesselsand three high-speed canoes to the scene to put out the flame.

The Vietnamese Consulate General in Hong Kong andMacao has asked Hong Kong authorities to conduct urgent search for the missingcrewmen and offer medical treatment to the injured. The Consulate General isalso working closely with agencies concerned and the vessel’s owner to dealwith the case.

The foreign ministry assigned the consulate general tomaintain close contact with the host authorities to update information and takenecessary measures to protect the legitimate rights and interests of crewmembers.

It also required the Vietnam Maritime Administrationand the Ho Chi Minh City Department of External Relations to complete proceduresto bring home the body of the deceased, and offer assistance with visaapplications for the vessel’s owner and the families of victims.

Vietnamese Consul General in Hong Kong Tran Thanh Huanvisited the injured sailors in hospital and offered necessities and clothing tothem.

Before the accident on January 8, the Aulac Fortunedocked in Dongguan port in Guangdong, China before leaving at 6pm on January 7.

The Hong Kong side is investigating the specific causeof the incident. –VNA