Hydrofoil carrying 80 passengers catches fire on Saigon River
Monday, January 20, 2014, 16:54 GMT+7
A hydrofoil from Vung Tau to Ho Chi Minh City with an estimated 80 passengers on board suddenly caught fire on the Saigon River on Monday.
After being informed of the fire that broke out at around 1:30pm, as many as 30 rescue boats were deployed to the scene and all the passengers were rescued, according to HCMC port authorities.
According to Tuoi Tre on-the-scene reporters, the hydrofoil has sunk while a large amount of oil slick is spreading on the river.
According to a witness, upon detecting the fire, the hydrofoil driver drove it towards a river bank near Tan Thuan Industrial Zone in district 7.
As the fire spread, all passengers jumped into the river to escape and they were later rescued by boat rescuers.
There are an estimated 92 people on board the hydrofoil at the time of the incident including passengers, staff, and the driver.
There are no immediate reports of human casualties.
