On September 30, the 21 entirely Chinese crew members of the COSCO bulk carrier WU ZHOU 8 perished in the Gulf of Thailand. The ship sent out a distress call in the afternoon, informing Vietnamese Maritime Authorities and MRCC Vung Tau of widespread crew poisoning. The ship, which had 10 fatalities, was 130 nautical miles southeast of Vung Tau and was in need of any kind of assistance, including emergency medical care. Vietnamese SAR ship approached bulk carrier and boarded 11 crew members who were still alive. Of these, 2 perished—1 on the way and 1 inside the hospital—while the other 9 are receiving treatment for food poisoning and are believed to be in stable condition. As of 1940 LT (UTC +7), the status of the bulk carrier, which is sailing from Koh Si Chang Ancgorahe, Thailand, to China, was unknown; at best, she was anchored. Unknown ship position; AIS not functioning.
Cosco bulker tragedy: out of 21 crew members, 12 died, 9 hospitalised, and the ship unmanned
