The Vietnam Embassy in Japan has stepped up citizen protection work as Typhoon Hagibis hit the country on October 12 causing extensive damage.

The embassy has kept close contact with Japanese competent agencies, and has received no information about any human loss regarding the Vietnamese expatriate community in the country as of 20pm on October 13.  

Regarding two Vietnamese citizens on board the Jia De ship of Panama, who went missing after the ship sank on Tokyo Bay on October 12, one of them was found and rescued together with three other sailors in the morning of October 13. The man, named Pham Van Duc,  is now receiving treatment at a hospital in Yokohama. He is reportedly recovering positively.

The other Vietnamese, named Nguyen Van Tri, and six other sailors remain missing.

On October 12, the Vietnam Embassy also guided nine Vietnamese interns stuck in Fukushima to seek rescue from local agencies; and helped a group of seven Vietnamese tourists seek shelters in Tokyo.

The embassy has contacted labour companies in charge of the affected interns, asking them to conduct necessary procedures to ensure rights and interests of the group.

The Foreign Ministry of Vietnam has instructed the embassy to continue monitoring the situation, implementing measures to ensure the safety of Vietnamese citizens in Japan and coordinating with Japanese agencies in searching for the missing Vietnamese citizen.

Typhoon Hagibis lashed Tokyo and other areas in central, eastern and northeastern regions of Japan on October 12. It dumped record rainfall, flooding huge swaths of residential districts and leaving at least 33 dead and nearly 20 others missing, according to Kyodo News. Rescue efforts are continuing.