Sunken bus found but 20 passengers still missing

HCMC – None of the 20 missing passengers were found, when rescuers in Ha Tinh Province on Wednesday detected the bus that was swept away by floodwaters down the Lam River on Monday, Vnexpress reports. Relatives of the 20 missing people, who were still on the bus when it sank, stood by as the bus was winched from the river, but no survivors or bodies were found. Some of the onlookers said they had lost hope of finding their family members alive. Rescue boats and divers from neighboring localities used cables to pull the submerged vehicle against strong currents onto the riverbank, said Nguyen Quoc Nam, director of Hai Long Co. Ltd., one of five volunteer enterprises in the search. Some 17 passengers on the bus had escaped by smashing windows before the vehicle completely submerged. They are now receiving treatment at hospitals in Nghi Xuan District and Vinh City. They said that the bus was carrying about 40 passengers before the powerful currents started to pour into the coach pushing it towards the river before it sank minutes later. The death toll from the floods in the central region may rise to over 55, including the 20 bus victims.