Several dead after tourist boat capsizes in Vietnam
At least 14 people are said to be missing following the incident in Halong Bay, a popular tourist destination in the north of the country, the reports say.
Most of the passengers were reportedly Vietnamese visiting from Hanoi.
Heavy rain has been hindering the search for survivors, rescuers say.
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version.
You can receive Breaking News on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on X to get the latest alerts.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
12 minutes ago
- New York Times
Landslides and Floods Kill 18 in South Korea
At least 18 people have died in South Korea as landslides and floods triggered by torrential rains buried homes and swept away people, cars and livestock, the government said on Monday. The death toll was expected to rise as rescuers removed debris and searched rain-swollen streams for nine people who were still missing, according to the country's disaster management office. Up to 31 inches of torrential rain have poured onto South Korea's southern and western provinces since last Wednesday. The hardest hit was Sancheong, a county near the central south coast, where 10 people were reported dead and four others were missing. Nearly 12 inches of rain fell there on Saturday alone, forcing the authorities to advise all 33,000 residents to look out for floods and landslides. Photos and video footage from the region showed large stretches of strawberry greenhouses destroyed by floods, with cars tossed upside down among the debris. Aging villagers sat dejectedly, gazing at boulders that had been swept in by the rain and were now occupying their front yards. Residents complained of power and water shortages, according to officials and local media. In Gapyeong County, northeast of Seoul, a family of four was camping near a stream when a landslide and flood hit their tent early Sunday. The son was rescued, but the father was found dead four miles downstream. Rescuers were still searching for the mother and an 11-year-old daughter, while using ropes and rappelling gear to move other stranded campers across streams roaring with dark-brown floodwater. The home ministry said 14,000 people had been evacuated, with their homes and farms lost or damaged. Fields growing rice, watermelon and other produce, equivalent to 40,000 soccer fields, had been damaged, the ministry of agriculture said. Nearly 1.5 million heads of livestock, including 1.4 million chickens, died, it said. President Lee Jae Myung promised to grant special disaster zone status to the worst-hit villages, which would allow the government to provide tax exemptions and other relief measures. By Monday, most of the evacuated villagers had returned to their homes, as the rain eased off and the sun came out. They faced the daunting task of rebuilding their houses. Soldiers were mobilized to help them haul rain-ravaged furniture. Workers used heavy equipment to clear roads and remove debris from under bridges. By Sunday afternoon, weather officials had downgraded their heavy rain alert. However, their forecasts indicated more rain for central and northern areas of the country on Monday. They also warned of a heat wave in the south, where officials sent vehicles weaving through villages, spraying chemicals to prevent outbreaks of disease in the aftermath of the floods.
Yahoo
44 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Boy survives Vietnam tourist boat sinking that killed dozens by sheltering in air pocket
A boy survived the sinking of a tourist boat in Vietnam which killed dozens of people by sheltering in an air pocket of the overturned vessel, it has emerged. The 10-year-old had been traveling with his family in Vietnam's famed Ha Long Bay when the vessel they were sailing on became caught in a sudden storm. Trapped in the boat as it capsized, the boy found refuge in an underwater air pocket, where he stayed and waited for help. He was eventually found by rescue teams relatively unharmed, although he was suffering from mental distress. He was warmed up and transferred to a nearby hospital, local outlet VietnamNet reported. 'Everything happened so fast,' the boy said. 'I tried to get out, and then the soldiers rescued me.' Search and rescue efforts are continuing for missing passengers and crew after sightseeing ship the Wonder Sea capsized in a squall on Saturday but have been hampered by bad weather. At least 35 people are confirmed dead from the sinking, state media reported, revising down an earlier toll but warning that it could still rise further. Vietnam News Agency said there were 53 passengers and crew on board and 10 people had been rescued. Four people remain missing. Another survivor, a 36-year-old Vietnamese man, described escaping the overturned boat by dumping his life jacket and swimming through an underwater window. Fire extinguisher salesman Dang Anh Tuan described the moment the vessel suddenly capsized during bad weather, leaving little time for those on board to react. '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,' Tuan told the Associated Press. He said that the boat quickly filled with water and he 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, along with several others who had been on board, clung onto the overturned boat and waited for another two hours in pouring rain until emergency crews arrived. He'd been holidaying in Vietnam's popular tourist bay with 11 university friends. Only three of their group survived. VN Express reported that the Wonder Sea was caught in a storm around 1.30 p.m. local time (2.30 a.m. ET), which caused it to capsize. Most of the passengers were from the Vietnamese capital Hanoi and traveling as families, according to VN Express, which reported the eldest passenger as 53 years old and the youngest as just 3. Over 20 children were on board, VNExpress said. The capsize reportedly happened near the Dau Go Cave – one of the largest in the bay. Halong Bay is a popular tourist hotspot and a UNESCO world heritage site comprising about 1,600 limestone islands and islets. CNN's Eve Brennan, Max Saltman and TuAnh Dam contributed reporting.
Bloomberg
3 hours ago
- Bloomberg
Vietnam Braces for Storm Wipha After Typhoon Lashes Hong Kong
Northern Vietnam is bracing for Tropical Cyclone Wipha, which may intensify to typhoon-strength before making landfall on Tuesday after tracking over the nation's iconic Ha Long Bay. Wipha is currently near the port city of Beihai in China's Guangxi province, and the US Navy's Joint Typhoon Warning Center forecasts the storm will gradually strengthen as it moves across the Gulf of Tonkin. The outer bands of the system are already bringing heavy rainfall to Vietnam's capital of Hanoi.
