Vietnam (TDI): On Saturday, around 2:00 PM, a tourist boat named “The Wonder Sea Boat” capsized in Vietnam’s Ha Long Bay, resulting in the death of 37 people, leaving five others missing as per Vietnam’s state media.
The boat, carrying 53 people including five crew members, capsized due to a thunderstorm on Saturday afternoon. Vietnamese media has reported that rescue teams have found 11 survivors and recovered 37 bodies, at least eight of them children.
Rescue teams continued the search through the night and have now brought the salvaged boat to shore. Most of the people on board were Vietnamese families who were visiting from the capital, Hanoi, and more than 20 children were among the passengers on board.
A 14-year-old boy has also been rescued after being trapped for four hours in the overturned hull. Another rescued 10-year-old child told state media, “I took a deep breath, swam through a gap, dived, then swam up. I even shouted for help, then I was pulled up by a boat with soldiers.”
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Prime Minister of Vietnam, Pham Minh Chinh, sent his condolences to the families of the deceased. The government also said that authorities will keep investigating to know the cause of the incident and strictly handle violations in future.
The National Center for Hydrometeorological Forecasting predicted continued thunderstorms and rainfall across the region due to the approaching Storm, Wipha.
Ha Long Bay is one of Vietnam’s most popular tourist destinations, with millions of people visiting its blue-green waters and rainforest-topped limestone islands each year.
Last year, 30 vessels sank in boat lock areas in coastal Quang Ninh province along Ha Long Bay after Typhoon Yagi brought strong winds and waves.
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