President Luong Cuong signed the decision on 4/3 to award the medal to Ha Ngoc Son, 50, residing in Bao Ai commune, Lao Cai province.

On the evening of 21/2, a boat carrying 22 relatives from Cam Nhan commune, on their way to a housewarming party in the former Yen Bai city, collided with a stone ferry and sank on Thac Ba Lake. Son, who was cooking for his livestock on a small island in the middle of the lake, about 400 m from the accident site, heard a loud noise. He immediately took his boat to investigate.

Son piloting his boat on Thac Ba Lake. Photo: Thanh Thanh

Drawing on his experience on the water, Son rescued 6 victims, all of whom had been thrown from the boat. "At that moment, I didn't have time to think, I just knew to pull whoever I could onto the boat", he shared. A total of 17 people were rescued, while 6 went missing.

Son then contacted the communal police, asking them to report the incident. He cordoned off the scene by dropping anchors for rescue forces to pinpoint the location. One day later, the bodies of the 6 missing victims were found.

Police determined that the passenger boat was overloaded, permitted to carry only 12 people. It used a smaller engine and failed to yield to a larger vessel, leading to serious consequences. The 2 boat operators were arrested.

Viet An