At least 18 dead, dozens missing after tourist boat capsizes in Vietnam's Ha Long Bay
"On the afternoon of July 19, the Wonder Sea tourist boat carrying 53 people capsized. Border guards rescued 12 people and recovered 18 bodies," said a report on the VNExpress news site.
Ha Long Bay is one of the country's top tourist attractions, drawing more than 5 million visitors a year to the province where 1,600 stunning jagged rock formations rise out of the bay, forming tiny islands. Many visitors stay overnight on wooden boats equipped with sleeping cabins and eating quarters.
The bay has seen boats go down in the past. In February 2011, 12 people died after a tour boat sank. In 2009, a tour boat sank during a storm, killing five, including three foreign vacationers. In 2006, a powerful wind storm capsized several boats, killing 13 people, though no tourists were among the dead. In 2002, strong winds capsized two tourist boats, killing several foreigners.
Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage site dotted with limestone formations, is located near the Chinese border in the Gulf of Tonkin about three hours east of the capital, Hanoi.
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