Divers check their equipment before organizing a search – Photo: VU HUONG
On October 1, 30 divers of the 126th Special Commando Brigade (Navy) coordinated with the forces of Phu Tho province to dive to search for missing victims in the Phong Chau bridge collapse.
Accordingly, the 126th Special Forces Brigade uses 30 divers, 15 synchronous open diving apparatus, 3 mobile air compressors, 2 rubber boats, 1 personal pressure boosting chamber, 3 synchronous hydroacoustic information sets. and other security equipment.
Divers are equipped with specialized equipment and go on a rescue boat starting from the new pontoon bridge location to search for the collapsed bridge area.
Divers release buoys to mark the diving location in the form of a square grid. The markers are about 100m apart to avoid missing the target.
Lieutenant Colonel Pham Ngoc Tuan Anh, Deputy Brigade Commander of the 126th Special Operations Brigade, said the unit’s 30 most elite divers searched the entire area from the foot of Phong Chau bridge to the downstream of the bridge to the new pontoon bridge area.
“We will organize a thorough search of each area one by one. We will mark the search distance in the locations below. Specifically, when searching, we will mark each area after searching. Floating is like clearing mines on land, to make it easier to imagine.
After completing the locations, we will report the results daily and further advise the Provincial People’s Committee and the Provincial Military Command on further search measures” – Lieutenant Colonel Tuan Anh shared.
Special Forces Brigade 126 has selected highly qualified divers with extensive experience in search and rescue in river and sea environments – Photo: VU HUONG
Lieutenant Colonel Tuan Anh also said that in addition to carrying out the planned search, the Brigade’s divers are also ready to search if the families and relatives of the victims have a need in locations where, according to the problem, issues about people’s beliefs and culture, if safety is guaranteed.
Currently, the water flow is fast, underwater visibility is very limited, and there is a lot of silt. Divers must use a combination of professional techniques to search and combine them with manual techniques to find victims. The commander of Brigade 126 commanded and divers took turns to continuously maintain underwater.
On the morning of October 1, General Phan Van Giang, Minister of National Defense – called Lieutenant Colonel Pham Ngoc Tuan Anh, Deputy Brigade Commander of Brigade 126 to check, understand the situation and encourage the soldiers to make efforts. High determination in search and rescue and ensuring safety in all aspects.
Previously, on the afternoon of September 30, 40 officers and soldiers of the 126th Naval Special Brigade and specialized vehicles led by Lieutenant Colonel Pham Ngoc Tuan Anh, Deputy Brigade Commander, were present at Phong Chau bridge area to prepare. Participate in searching for missing victims in the bridge collapse.
Here are some pictures at the search dive on October 1 of the 126th Special Operations Brigade in the Phong Chau bridge area:
Divers are equipped with specialized equipment and go on a rescue boat starting from the new pontoon bridge location to search for the collapsed bridge area – Photo: THANH DAT
The commander assigned tasks before the “frogs” dived – Photo: VU HUONG
Divers release buoys to mark diving locations in the form of a square grid – Photo: VU HUONG
Marking points are about 100m apart to avoid missing the target – Photo: VU HUONG
Safety for divers is always emphasized. The communication system is maintained smoothly from the commander on shore, with the commander in the boat and the divers underwater – Photo: VU HUONG
Divers contact commander on shore – Photo: VU HUONG
Currently, the water flow is fast, underwater visibility is very limited, and there is a lot of silt. Divers have to use a combination of professional techniques to search and combine them with manual techniques to find victims – Photo: VU HUONG
Like Tuoi Tre Online reported that around 10:00 a.m. on September 9, Phong Chau bridge connecting Lam Thao and Tam Nong districts suddenly collapsed, causing two spans of the bridge to fall into the Red River bed.
The incident caused 10 vehicles (1 truck, 2 tractor-trailers, 6 motorbikes, 1 electric motorbike) to fall into the river, 8 people were missing.
To date, forces have searched for 4 victims and recovered 1 tractor-trailer. There are currently 4 victims and 7 vehicles that have not been found.