PHÚ YÊN — Local authorities in Phú Yên Province are searching for two construction workers who went missing while traveling by boat on the Ba River on Wednesday night.

According to the Phú Hòa District Police Office, at around 7 p.m. on Wednesday, six male construction workers working on a sub-project of the Chí Thạnh - Vân Phong section of the North-South Expressway project took a boat from Vĩnh Phú hamlet in the district to Tây Hòa District.

When they reached the construction site for the Đà Rằng Bridge, the boat collided with the bridge and capsized.

Three individuals survived: Mai Chí Thành, 45, Nguyễn Văn Huê, 32, and Lê Kim Vàng, 29.

Three others drowned: Nguyễn Cửu Đồng, 34, Nguyễn Mạnh Nguyên, 31, and Lê Đức Cường, 46. Nguyên died after being taken to Phú Yên Provincial General Hospital for treatment. The other two individuals remain missing.

Late on Wednesday night, Cao Thị Hòa An, Permanent Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, and Lê Tấn Hổ, Permanent Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, visited the scene and ordered search and rescue forces to continue searching for the missing victims throughout the night.

A Vietnam News Agency correspondent reported that heavy rains hit the province early Thursday morning, causing water levels in the Ba River to rise significantly, making the search for the missing victims more difficult. — VNS