10 Vietnamese fishermen feared dead off central coast

HANOI, Vietnam -- Ten Vietnamese fishermen were missing and feared dead after their boat was hit by another vessel and sank off the central coast, an official said Wednesday.

Fishermen on three other boats near the accident tried to search for the missing men, but suspended their efforts Tuesday due to rough seas, said Nguyen Truc Thom, head of the border guard command for the central province of Phu Yen.

The Defense Ministry sent a helicopter to the site Tuesday but it did not succeed in finding any bodies, he said.

"The chances of them surviving in the rough sea over the past two days is almost zero," Thom said, adding all search and rescue operations were halted Wednesday because of bad weather in the search area.

Thom said fishermen from the other boats saw an unidentified vessel leave the area after hitting the fishing boat that capsized about 130 kilometers (80 miles) off the coast of Phu Yen.