One survives cargo shipwreck near south Vietnam

HANOI, Vietnam – The bodies of two crew members of the Norwegian cargo ship that sank off the coast of southern Vietnam have been identified as the captain and deputy captain, state media reported today.

The Thanh Nien said the bodies of captain Ronel Acueza Andrin and deputy captain Jerome Maquilang Dincy were brought to southern province of Ba Ria Vung Tau on Sunday.

Their ship, the Bulk Jupiter, sank with 19 Filipino crew members on Friday en route from Malaysia to China, and Vietnamese rescuers aided by commercial ships passing through the area continued to search for the others, according to Vietnamese authorities and the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs. The ship’s chief cook, Angelito Capindo Rojas, is the only known survivor.

Rojas told officials that he had no idea what happened with the ship, which was carrying a cargo of bauxite.

“I don’t understand why the ship had the accident and sank,” he was quoted as saying. “I just knew that the ship, which was on its way, suddenly tilted. I just had time to put on life vest and jump into the sea.”