Police officers work with ferry operator M.X.D. after he was caught attempting to transport passengers across the Red River amid strong winds and high waves induced by storm Bualoi. Photo: Supplied
At around 2:30 pm on Sunday, M.X.D., 49, from Hung Yen Province, was operating a ferry between Hung Yen's Binh Dinh Commune and Ninh Binh's Giao Hoa Commune, despite dangerous conditions caused by strong winds and high waves.
Local police and waterway officers stopped the ferry, ordered the vessel to anchor, and instructed the operator to suspend service until weather conditions improved.
Authorities said the operator committed several violations, including running the ferry without proper certification, overloading the vessel, and failing to require passengers to wear life jackets.
Storm Bualoi, the 10th storm to enter the East Vietnam Sea this year, made landfall in Ha Tinh Province early on Monday, bringing up to 12 hours of heavy rain and strong winds to the Nghe An-Quang Tri region.
The storm caused widespread damage across several northern and north-central provinces.
As of 11:00 am on Tuesday, official figures showed the storm and its resulting floods and landslides had left 21 people dead, 23 missing, and 99 injured.
Authorities also reported that 81 houses collapsed, about 129,000 homes were damaged or lost roofs, and over 8,300 were submerged, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment.
