30 Navy divers are trying to find 4 missing victims in the Phong Chau bridge collapse.

On October 1, 30 divers of the 126th Special Forces Brigade, Navy, coordinated with forces of Phu Tho province to search for victims of the Phong Chau bridge collapse due to the impact of storm No. 3. The deployment of elite divers and the most modern equipment to search for the 4 missing victims demonstrated the high determination of the locality in search and rescue work.

Test launch of pontoon bridge span after Phong Chau bridge collapse

Naval Region 5 Command tests live ammunition firing at sea

In the morning, General Phan Van Giang, Politburo member, Deputy Secretary of the Central Military Commission, Minister of National Defense , called Lieutenant Colonel Pham Ngoc Tuan Anh, Deputy Brigade Commander of Brigade 126, to check, grasp the situation and encourage the troops to make great efforts and determination in search and rescue and ensure safety in all aspects.

Divers equipped with specialized equipment, on rescue boats depart from the newly dived pontoon bridge to the collapsed bridge area. During the search, navy divers always coordinate closely with forces present at the scene.

Thoroughly assign tasks to divers and security personnel.

Colonel Nguyen Dinh Cuong, Commander of Phu Tho Province Military Command, said that the area around Phong Chau Bridge is very complicated and the current is strong and deep. The Provincial Military Command directly consulted with the provincial leaders to request the Ministry of National Defense to support with forces and means.

Accordingly, the army's elite frogmen have been used to join the search since September 30.

The diver left the boat and went into the water.

The 126th Special Forces Brigade selected highly qualified divers with extensive experience in search and rescue operations in rivers and seas to participate in this mission. Before diving, the unit's medical staff checked blood pressure, heart rate and mental state to ensure they were fit to carry out the mission.

Currently, forces are continuing to search the entire area under the river, on both banks from the collapsed Phong Chau bridge abutment to the pontoon bridge.

Divers drop buoys and mark the dive locations in a grid pattern. The markings are spaced approximately 100 meters apart to avoid missing targets. Diver safety is always a top priority. Communication is maintained between the commander on shore, the commander in the boat, and the divers underwater.

Lieutenant Colonel Pham Ngoc Tuan Anh, Deputy Brigade Commander, shared that divers will search the entire area from the foot of Phong Chau bridge downstream to the new pontoon bridge area of ​​the Engineering Command. The divers will search each area one by one, the search distance at the locations below will be marked with squares. After finishing the locations, the results will be reported daily and further advice will be given to the Provincial People's Committee and the Provincial Military Command on measures.

According to Lieutenant Colonel Pham Ngoc Tuan Anh, in addition to conducting the search according to the Brigade's plan, if the victims' families have cultural or religious needs, officers and soldiers of Brigade 126 in the Phong Chau bridge area are ready to search in other locations if safety is guaranteed.

Motorboats of the Phu Tho Provincial Department of Transport support divers.

In the situation of strong currents, limited underwater visibility, and large silt, divers must use a combination of specialized techniques to search and combine with manual techniques to find victims. The commander of Brigade 126 commanded, and divers took turns to maintain continuous underwater.

According to Senior Lieutenant Pham Duy Vien, a diving instructor at Brigade 126, the forces in general and Navy divers are working very urgently, cautiously, and with the highest determination to carry out their missions.

Source: https://thoidai.com.vn/30-tho-lan-cua-hai-quan-no-luc-tim-kiem-4-nan-nhan-mat-tich-trong-sap-cau-phong-chau-205574.html