One Vietnamese fisherman was killed and three others still missing at sea after their fishing vessel, carrying 12, overturned on Wednesday off the southern city of Vung Tau.

The remaining eight fishermen on board were rescued and brought to shore safely on Thursday.

According to official reports, the fishing vessel captained by 42-year-old Vo Van Loc was on a fishing trip at sea on Wednesday when fierce waves caused the ship to capsize nearly 100 nautical miles southwest of Vung Tau, sending all 12 sailors to the sea.

The Coordination Center for Marine Search and Rescue III (RCC-3) of Vietnam and border guards of Ba Ria – Vung Tau Province were sent on a rescue mission immediately after receiving notifications of the accident.

The responders were able to approach the distressed vessel the same afternoon and saved eight surviving crew members.

Divers later found the body of 29-year-old sailor La Van Vu who drowned in the accident.

The eight survivors and Vu’s body were taken ashore on Thursday.

Survivors on the fishing vessel that capsized off Vung Tau City in southern Vietnam on February 14, 2018 were taken to shore the following day. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Three missing fishermen, identified only by their first names Hung, Vung and Thoa, are still not found as of Friday, as authorities suspect they are still trapped inside the capsized ship.

According to RCC-3, the ship had been caught in fierce waves as a result of Storm Sanba, which had developed off the Philippines on Sunday and has been heading toward Vietnam’s Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago in the East Vietnam Sea over the week.

Rough waters have also made it a challenge for rescuers to get inside the ship to search for the missing fishermen, officials say.

Storm Sanba, which is the second storm to hit Vietnam this year, was around 450km northeastern off Truong Sa Island in the Truong Sa archipelago on the evening of Thursday, packing winds at between 60 and 75km per hour.

Le Thanh Hai, deputy director of the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, said it was likely that the storm would weaken into a tropical depression upon entering the East Vietnam Sea.

Survivors on the fishing vessel that capsized off Vung Tau City in southern Vietnam on February 14, 2018 were taken to shore the following day. Photo: Tuoi Tre

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