Death toll from Vietnam's Halong bay tourist boat accident climbs to 38
HALONG BAY, Vietnam (Reuters) -- The death toll from a tourist boat accident in Vietnam's Halong Bay climbed to at least 38 with several people still missing, the government said, as rescuers continued to search for survivors while bracing for the approach of Typhoon Wipha.
The vessel capsized on Saturday afternoon carrying 48 tourists and five crew members in one of the worst boating accidents in recent years in the popular tourist area.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Japan Today
34 minutes ago
- Japan Today
Montreal over Miami: Patriotic Canadians change summer vacation plans
FILE PHOTO: Canoes are seen on a dock on Lake Louise at Banff National Park, in the Canadian Rocky Mountains outside the village of Lake Louise, Alberta, October 3, 2014. REUTERS/Mark Blinch/File Photo By Nivedita Balu Canadians are trading their annual vacation south of the border for road trips around Ottawa, the midnight sun in Yukon, whale watching in Nova Scotia or hiking in Banff. The newfound desire to stay local started earlier this year when U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to annex Canada and imposed a series of tariffs on Canadian goods, spurring a 'Buy Canadian' movement to boycott U.S. businesses and avoid traveling to the U.S. London, Ontario-based Guess Where Trips sells curated mystery road trip packages in four Canadian provinces and reported a 75% increase in sales of trips across the country so far this year from a year ago. "It is clear that more Canadians are choosing to explore small businesses and hidden gems close to home, rather than crossing the border for their holidays and vacations," operations manager Jessica Bax said. Road trips around Ottawa are among their most popular packages, Bax said, as more Canadians explore their capital city. Prime Minister Mark Carney has also made a pitch for Canadians to take advantage of a new "Canada Strong" pass that grants free or discounted access to several national parks, historic sites and museums this summer. "Canadians are making choices to visit this great country, spend time here with their family, with their friends. They're making choices to buy Canadian products," he said in a press briefing in Huntsville, Ontario on Tuesday. The discount pass contrasts with Trump ordering higher entrance fees at U.S. national parks for visitors from other countries. A Bank of Canada survey this week showed that 55% of Canadians plan to spend less money vacationing in the United States this year while 35% said they would spend more on traveling within Canada. A survey by TD Bank showed 64% of Canadians polled planned to travel within the country, mirroring an increase in domestic flight bookings. Canadian domestic tourism spending rose 4% in the first quarter this year from a year earlier, said Destination Canada, a government agency that promotes Canadian tourism. The number of flight return trips from the United States made by Canadians fell 17% in May from a year earlier, while the number of such trips made by car fell by 37% that month, according to Statistics Canada. Walter Flower, who operates whale watching tours in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, said he has been busier this year as more people exploring the UNESCO World Heritage town booked a 45-minute ocean adventure hoping to spot whales off the east coast. Divya Mohan, a communications specialist in Toronto, says she had initially planned to go to Texas this year but instead opted to explore the city of Winnipeg in Manitoba. "It just felt like the timing wasn't right... may be in the future," Mohan, 39, said of her trip in April. "Winnipeg is just one more destination in Canada to explore," Mohan said, coming away impressed with the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. On the west coast in British Columbia, RVs have gained popularity, said Storm Jespersen, a regional manager at family-owned tourism firm Evergreen Hospitality Group. "This year is going to be the busiest year in our company's history across our 26 properties... it's so busy, I don't think you can even rent one (RV) very easily right now," said Jespersen. WORTH THE BUCK Traveling in Canada can be expensive as domestic flights to remote locations often cost more than traveling to the United States or even Europe. But travelers have found ways to do it cheaper - through road trips or by hunting for discounts. "Doing road trips or just weekend trips to a cabin nearby is a great way to switch things up without spending thousands of dollars to fly a family of four across the country and back," said Vancouver-based marketing executive Kramer Solinsky. On his list this year, Solinsky plans to visit Montreal and the east coast for the first time and is traveling to Mexico City and Osaka in Japan instead of other sun-soaked options like Florida and California. To make some remote regions in northern Canada more accessible, Air North - the airline for the northern regions of Yukon and Northwest Territories - added more capacity and non-stop routes for the summer, betting on higher demand from what it said was "clear and growing interest among Canadians in exploring more of their own country" Air North said arrivals to Yukon rose 7.6% from January to June this year and the airline continues to see growth in demand for flights to northern Canada. Other Canadian carriers have reported similar trends: Porter Airlines increased its summer network capacity to domestic travel to 80% from 75%, while peer WestJet in May suspended nine routes between Canada and the United States citing lower demand. © (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2025.
Yomiuri Shimbun
2 days ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Russian Plane Goes Missing in Far East with Nearly 50 Aboard
MOSCOW, July 24 (Reuters) – Air traffic controllers lost contact on Thursday with an An-24 passenger plane carrying about 50 people in Russia's far east, and a search was under way, the regional governor said. The local emergencies ministry said the plane, operated by a Siberia-based airline called Angara, dropped off radar screens while approaching its destination of Tynda, a town in the Amur region bordering China. Regional governor Vasily Orlov said that according to preliminary data, there were 43 passengers, including five children, and six crew members on board. 'All necessary forces and means have been deployed to search for the plane,' he wrote on Telegram. The emergencies ministry put the number of people on board somewhat lower, at around 40.
Nikkei Asia
3 days ago
- Nikkei Asia
India to resume issuing tourist visas to Chinese citizens
Ties between China and India have gradually improved, with Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi meeting in Russia in October last year. © Reuters HONG KONG (Reuters) -- India will resume issuing tourist visas to Chinese citizens from July 24 this year, its embassy in China said on Wednesday, the first time in five years as both countries move to repair their rocky relationship. Tensions between the two countries escalated following a 2020 military clash along their disputed Himalayan border. In response, India imposed restrictions on Chinese investments, banned hundreds of popular Chinese apps and cut passenger routes. China suspended visas to Indian citizens and other foreigners around the same time due to the COVID-19 pandemic but lifted those restrictions in 2022, when it resumed issuing visas for students and business travelers. Tourist visas for Indian nationals remained restricted until March this year, when both countries agreed to resume direct air service. Relations have gradually improved, with several high-level meetings taking place last year, including talks between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Russia in October. China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on Wednesday that Beijing had noted the positive move. "China is ready to maintain communication and consultation with India and constantly improve the level of personal exchanges between the two countries," he said. India and China share a 3,800 km (2,400-mile) border that has been disputed since the 1950s. The two countries fought a brief but brutal border war in 1962 and negotiations to settle the dispute have made slow progress. In July, India's foreign minister told his Chinese counterpart that both countries must resolve border friction, pull back troops and avoid "restrictive trade measures" to normalize their relationship.
