Around 8h, Ea O commune authorities received a report that Pham Van Truong, 43, was clinging to a bush in swift currents near C7 bridge. Truong’s boat had capsized the previous afternoon, leaving him submerged in cold water all night.

The commune's one rescue boat was too small to reach Truong. Authorities requested Hoang Van Thien, 45, to use his family's 100 kg capacity agricultural drone, typically used for rice seeding and spraying pesticides, for the rescue.

Hoang Van Thien, 45, in Ea O commune, controls the drone to rescue a person on the morning of 21/11/2024. *Photo: Provided by subject*

Thien tied a rope and a life jacket to the drone's underside, then piloted it towards the river. Torrential rain and strong gusts made the drone unstable. After reaching the stranded person and dropping the life jacket and drinking water, he flew the drone back to change its battery before returning to lift the person.

A few minutes later, the drone returned with a circular buoy attached to a rope. Waiting for Truong to climb onto the buoy and hold the rope firmly, Thien held his breath, guiding the drone with the current, slowly towing him to shore. The rescue lasted 40 minutes.

"When the victim touched shore, his limbs were trembling, his skin pale, but he was alive; only then could I breathe a sigh of relief", Thien recounted.

Video records Hoang Van Thien's drone rescuing a person on the Krong Pac river, near C7 bridge, Ea O commune, on the morning of 21/11/2024. *Source: T.T.C.P*

Nguyen Thanh Binh, Chairman of Ea O Commune People's Committee, stated that Truong was one of two fishermen whose boat capsized on the afternoon of 20/11/2024. Truong managed to cling to a bush, while his friend, Ha Van Anh, is still missing.

The video of the drone rescue went viral on social media, garnering many admiring comments. Thien said that although he had used the drone many times to transport heavy goods, this was his first time using it for a rescue. Initially, he worried the device might malfunction mid-river, but the urgent situation compelled him to act.

After the rescue, Thien continued to use the drone to deliver food supplies to 19 households in Hamlet 6, Ea O commune, which had been isolated for three days.

Ngan Quynh