The tropical depression that is moving with winds of 39-61 kph in the East Sea near Vietnam’s Truong Sa (Spratly) Islands is likely to develop into a storm, the National Hydro-meteorological Forecasting Center warned.

In the next 24 hours, the depression will move west-south west at 10 kph and this noon it will be 190 km west-northwest of Truong Sa and may turn into a storm with winds of 62-74 kph and gusts of 87-102 kph.

The depression, the first to have occurred in February in Vietnam in the past 20 years, has caused rough seas in the middle and south of the East Sea, including the sea area between Binh Thuan and Ca Mau provinces.

It has also caused out-of-season rains in many southern provinces and cities, including Bien Hoa, Da Lat, Phu Quoc, Can Tho, Hau Giang and Ho Chi Minh City, with a rainfall between 7 and 20 mm.

Due to rough seas, many fishing boats suffered accidents yesterday. 

A fishing boat with 3 fishermen sank off Hoai Nhon District, Binh Dinh Province, while another boat also with 3 crewmen sank off Phu Yen Province’s Tuy An District. 

A fishing boat from Quang Ngai Province with 12 fishermen was found drifting 286 nautical miles off Qui Nhon City after it engine broken down due to the bad weather. 

Another boat, with 9 fishermen on board, also from Quang Ngai, went aground while seeking shelter from violent sea waves.

2 other boats, from Quang Ngai and Da Nang City, with a total of 35 fishermen on board, were rescued by the Vietnam Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Center while they were drifting at sea due to engine breakdown. 

The Central Steering Board for Flood and Storm Prevention and Control and the National Search and Rescue Committee have instructed their local units in the coastal region from Quang Ngai to Ca Mau to take all precaution measures to cope with the storm.

Coastal authorities must inform all boats at sea about the depression’s development so they can avoid or leave the affected areas to seek shelter in time, the two agencies said.

Source: Tuoi Tre