At Least 34 Dead After Vietnam Tourist Boat Capsizes, State Media Says
The boat, carrying 48 passengers and five crew members, was on a sightseeing tour when a sudden thunderstorm with strong winds created high swells that overturned it, Vietnamese news outlets reported.
Rescue teams that included naval commandos from the Quang Ninh Province, in northeastern Vietnam, recovered 34 bodies, with at least eight children among the dead, according to Dantri, a state-owned media outlet.
The emergency crews, working past nightfall, had pulled at least 10 survivors out of the water, state media reported. Among those rescued was a boy who had been in the water for several hours.
'It's the worst accident I've known in Ha Long Bay in the last 25 years,' Bui Cong Hoan, deputy chairman of Ha Long Tourist Boat Association, said by telephone.
All of the passengers and crew members were Vietnamese citizens, state-run media said. Images of the incident showed the boat completely overturned, its hull sticking out above the water.
Vietnamese media reported that of one family, with two parents and two children, only the mother had survived.
Pham Minh Chinh, the prime minister of Vietnam, ordered civil defense workers and the Defense and Public Security Ministries to support the search efforts, Vietnam's official government news site said.
The boat was returning from a tour of Dau Go and other limestone caves in Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site with more than 1,600 islands, when the storm broke out, Mr. Hoan said. The boat, part of a tour association, was among hundreds of vessels that ferry tourists around the bay each day.
In 2022, 17 tourists died when a speedboat boat capsized in the waters off Quang Nam in southern Vietnam. The boat's captain, was sentenced to seven years in prison, according to Vietnamese news outlets.
In 2009, 40 people were killed when an overloaded ferry sank in a river in central Vietnam, in what the police described as one of the country's worst such disasters.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox News
3 hours ago
- Fox News
Hikers rescued by helicopter from remote beach after rising tides cut off their only way out
Dramatic video captures the moment two hikers were rescued after becoming stranded on a secluded beach near one of Point Reyes National Seashore's most dangerous hazards. The pair became trapped near Elephant Rock when rising tides cut off their only way out, according to a social media update from the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office. After spending several hours in the area, the hikers realized they were stuck and called emergency services, department spokesperson Emily Fuller said in a statement to SFGATE. Due to the lack of safe access by land or sea, a helicopter crew was dispatched to carry out the rescue. Using a 100-foot line, responders hoisted the hikers from the beach after securing them in a "hot seat," a harness designed for aerial rescues. The hikers were then flown to the Marin County Fire Department, the sheriff's office confirmed. Fortunately, no injuries were reported. Video of the rescue shows the dramatic scene as a rescuer descends to the rocky shoreline, then lifts off with both hikers suspended above the water. While Point Reyes is a popular destination for hiking and coastal exploration, it poses serious risks, the National Park Service warns. "The ocean is among the most dangerous features at Point Reyes," the park's website notes. Visitors are cautioned about dangers such as powerful surf, unexpected "sneaker" waves, strong currents, polluted water, cold temperatures and hidden hot coals. There are no lifeguards, and the area features challenging terrain, including unstable cliffs and bluffs. Fuller emphasized that some beach areas can become "completely locked in" once the tide rises, leaving no safe path out. She advised that anyone exploring the coastline should check tide charts and carry a reliable way to call for help. "Having access to emergency communication is crucial," she added. "Some parts of the coastline don't have cell service, so carrying a satellite communication device like a Garmin inReach could be a lifesaver." Fox News Digital reached out to the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office and National Parks for comment, but did not immediately receive a response. Stepheny Price is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. She covers topics including missing persons, homicides, national crime cases, illegal immigration, and more. Story tips and ideas can be sent to
Skift
7 hours ago
- Skift
Wyndham Hits Significant Growth Milestone
The DJIA roared back from the declines late last week, up 585 points while the Nasdaq was up 403, the S&P 500 rose 92 points, and the 10-year treasury yield was down .02 to 4.2%. Lodging stocks were higher. BHR was the only mover of note, gaining back 5%. Guerrero, Mexico's tourist destinations registered an average hotel occupancy rate of 78.2% this Sunday, according to figures from the state Ministry of Tourism. The summer season has been one of the most active for the state, with thousands of national and international visitors who have chosen places such as Acapulco, Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo, and Taxco. In Acapulco, hotel occupancy stood at 76.5%, with the Golden Zone leading with 79.1%, followed by the Diamond Zone with 75.2% and the Traditional Zone with 70%. Other destinations also reported outstanding figures: Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo reached 85.1% occupancy, Taxco de Alarconn
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
Las Vegas is down on its luck as tourism drops. Why it's kind of California's fault
Sin City is facing a summer swoon, and Californians — by far the largest tourist contingent, data show — are partially to blame. Visits to Las Vegas were down 11.3% in June 2025 versus a year earlier, according to data from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. Traffic on Interstate 15 at the California-Nevada border was down 4.3% over the same period, suggesting fewer visitors from the Golden State heading for Vegas casinos. The number of air travelers into Las Vegas overall declined 6.3% over the previous June. In 2024, Californians made up more than a fifth of air travelers into Vegas, with nearly half of those coming from the Los Angeles metro area. A demographic report from the visitors authority estimated that Southern California provided 30% of all visitors to Las Vegas in 2024. Add it all up, and Californians could be responsible for a significant portion of the decline in Vegas tourism. Tourism within the U.S. is only part of the picture, though, as experts previously predicted slumps in international tourism across the country. The convention and visitors authority estimates that 12% of the city's visitors are international. A report from the World Travel and Tourism Council projected that the U.S. would lose $12.5 billion in international travel spending in 2025. "While other nations are rolling out the welcome mat, the U.S. government is putting up the 'closed' sign,' Julia Simpson, the council's president, said in a statement. The report cited air-travel booking data from March that showed a 15% to 20% drop in expected travel from major tourism sources including the United Kingdom, Germany and Canada. Visitors from Canada and Mexico made up more than half of international tourists to Las Vegas in 2024, according to data from the visitors authority. But President Trump's talk of making Canada the 51st state and his decision to hit Canada with tariffs have not endeared him to Canadian travelers. Meanwhile, media overseas have been bombarded with stories of capricious denials and detentions at U.S. border crossings. Las Vegas is not alone in its travel woes. In May, Gov. Gavin Newsom predicted a "Trump Slump" in international travel to California brought on in part by the president's tariff regime. "Las Vegas thrives on tourism," Rep. Steven Horsford wrote last week on X, "but under the Trump slump, the numbers are tanking." Horsford, a Democrat represents Nevada's 4th Congressional District, which includes a portion of Las Vegas. By many metrics — including visitor totals, convention attendance and room occupancy rates — Las Vegas has yet to recover fully since the onset of the pandemic. In dollar terms, however, Sin City continues to profit even as visitor numbers drop: Clark County collected $1.16 billion in gambling revenue in June 2025, up 3.5% from a year earlier. In the end, the house always wins. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Solve the daily Crossword
