
Vietnam Tour Boat Survivor Describes His Escape
At least 38 people were killed in the accident and a search is continuing for five who are still missing, according to Vietnamese state media.
The Wonder Sea embarked early Saturday afternoon for a three hour excursion in the popular bay, carrying 48 passengers and five crew. But a storm quickly covered the sky, bringing high winds and pouring rain, survivor Dang Anh Tuan told The Associated Press.
Tuan said the passengers asked for the boat to turn back to shore, but the crew reassured them they were almost at their destination and kept the boat moving forward.
'It rained for about 15 minutes, and then the boat started to shake vigorously, tables and chairs were jostled around and seconds later the boat overturned,' the 36-year-old fire extinguisher salesman said. 'Water gushed in and I lost all orientation.'
'I tried to breathe. But more water came in. I took a deep breath, got rid of my life vest and dove down. I saw a streak of light and followed it to swim out, escaping the boat, and then I climbed on the overturned boat to look for help,' he said.
Tuan and three others survived by clinging on to the capsized boat and its propellers, waited out another two hours until the rain stopped and rescued arrived.
Rescue workers saved 11 people, but one died in hospital due to injuries, VNExpress newspaper said.
The boat turned upside down because of strong winds, the newspaper said. A 14-year-old boy was rescued after four hours trapped in the overturned hull.
The newspaper said that most of the passengers were tourists from Hanoi, including about 20 children.
Tuan was a holiday with 11 university friends, only three of whom survived. Tuan has only minor cuts, but one of his friends suffered multiple injuries in his head and the other's tendons were cut by broken glass as he escaped the boat through a window.
The other nine members of the group were killed, including one who was traveling with his wife and 3-year-old son. The wife and child were also drowned.
A tropical storm is also moving toward the area. A national weather forecast said that Storm Wipha is expected to hit Vietnam's northern region next week, including Ha Long Bay's coast.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Nikkei Asia
16 hours ago
- Nikkei Asia
MacArthur's legacy weighs heavily on Japan -- 80 years on
U.S. Gen. Douglas MacArthur signs Japanese surrender documents on Sept. 2, 1945, aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. © AP ANDREW SHARP TOKYO -- Time has stood still on the sixth floor of the Dai-Ichi Life building across the moat from Tokyo's Imperial Palace. Behind heavy wooden doors lies an office, preserved since 1945, that houses the desk of Gen. Douglas MacArthur, the supreme commander of the allied powers that occupied Japan for seven years after its surrender in World War II. On a visit ahead of the 80th anniversary of the war's end on Aug. 15, the preserved room, which is not usually open to the public, appears like a snapshot of history, providing an insight into the powerful character of the general who played an outsized role in rebuilding a country from the ruins of war. His austere desk lacks drawers, and those facing him in the afternoons would have been met with bright sunshine pouring into their eyes.


Yomiuri Shimbun
3 days ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Passenger Plane Crashes in Russia's Far East, Killing All 48 People on Board, Officials Say
MOSCOW (AP) — A passenger plane crashed Thursday in Russia's Far East, killing all 48 passengers and crew on board, officials said. The Angara Airlines flight disappeared from radar, and searchers later found the burning wreckage of the plane on a hillside south of its planned destination in Tynda, more than 7,000 kilometers (4,350 miles) east of Moscow, Russia's Emergency Situations Ministry said. Regional Gov. Vasily Orlov said in a statement that all 48 people aboard were dead, and announced three days of mourning in the Amur region over what he called a 'terrible tragedy.' It wasn't immediately clear what caused the crash. Russia's Interfax news agency said there were adverse weather conditions at the time of the crash, citing unnamed sources in the emergency services. Several Russian news outlets also reported that the aircraft was almost 50 years old, citing data taken from the plane's tail number. The Soviet-designed twin turbo prop plane had initially departed from Khabarovsk before making its way to Blagoveshchensk on the Russian-Chinese border and onwards to Tynda. Images of the reported crash site circulated by Russian state media show debris scattered among dense forest, surrounded by plumes of smoke. Orlov said rescuers had struggled to reach the site due to its remote location, 15 kilometers (9 miles) south of Tynda. An earlier statement from the governor said that 49 people had been onboard the flight, but that number later was updated to 48. The reason for the discrepancy was not immediately clear. The transport prosecutor's office in the Far East said in an online statement that the plane was attempting to land for a second time when it lost contact with air traffic control and disappeared from radars. The authorities launched a probe on the charge of flight safety violations that resulted in multiple deaths, a standard procedure in aviation accidents. Aviation incidents have been frequent in Russia, especially in recent years as international sanctions have squeezed the country's aviation sector.


Japan Today
3 days ago
- Japan Today
Passenger plane crashes in Russia's Far East, killing all 48 people on board, officials say
In this photo taken from video released by Russian Investigative Committee on Thursday, July 24, 2025, a view of the place of the crashed Russian An-24 passenger plane of the Siberia-based Angara Airlines while carrying 49 passengers in 15 kilometers (9 miles) south of Tynda, Far Eastern Amur region of Russia. (Russian Investigative Committee via AP) A passenger plane crashed Thursday in Russia's Far East, killing all 48 passengers and crew on board, officials said. The Angara Airlines flight disappeared from radar, and searchers later found the burning wreckage of the plane on a hillside south of its planned destination in Tynda, more than 7,000 kilometers (4,350 miles) east of Moscow, Russia's Emergency Situations Ministry said. Regional Gov. Vasily Orlov said in a statement that all 48 people aboard were dead, and announced three days of mourning in the Amur region over what he called a 'terrible tragedy.' It wasn't immediately clear what caused the crash. Russia's Interfax news agency said there were adverse weather conditions at the time of the crash, citing unnamed sources in the emergency services. Several Russian news outlets also reported that the aircraft was almost 50 years old, citing data taken from the plane's tail number. The Soviet-designed twin turbo prop plane had initially departed from Khabarovsk before making its way to Blagoveshchensk on the Russian-Chinese border and onwards to Tynda. Images of the reported crash site circulated by Russian state media show debris scattered among dense forest, surrounded by plumes of smoke. Orlov said rescuers had struggled to reach the site due to its remote location, 15 kilometers (9 miles) south of Tynda. An earlier statement from the governor said that 49 people had been onboard the flight, but that number later was updated to 48. The reason for the discrepancy was not immediately clear. The transport prosecutor's office in the Far East said in an online statement that the plane was attempting to land for a second time when it lost contact with air traffic control and disappeared from radars. The authorities launched a probe on the charge of flight safety violations that resulted in multiple deaths, a standard procedure in aviation accidents. Aviation incidents have been frequent in Russia, especially in recent years as international sanctions have squeezed the country's aviation sector. © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.