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Boy survives Vietnam boat sinking that killed dozens by sheltering in air pocket

Boy survives Vietnam boat sinking that killed dozens by sheltering in air pocket

Saudi Gazette2 days ago
HANOI — 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 36 people are confirmed dead from the sinking, state media reported on Monday. Vietnam News Agency said there were 53 passengers and crew on board and 10 people had been rescued. Three people remain missing.On Monday, rescue teams recovered the body of a six-year-old boy who had been traveling with his family, according to the state-run Vietnam News Agency. The child's body was found close to a nearby island, VNA reported, citing local officials.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
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Boy survives Vietnam boat sinking that killed dozens by sheltering in air pocket
Boy survives Vietnam boat sinking that killed dozens by sheltering in air pocket

Saudi Gazette

time2 days ago

  • Saudi Gazette

Boy survives Vietnam boat sinking that killed dozens by sheltering in air pocket

HANOI — 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 36 people are confirmed dead from the sinking, state media reported on Monday. Vietnam News Agency said there were 53 passengers and crew on board and 10 people had been rescued. Three people remain Monday, rescue teams recovered the body of a six-year-old boy who had been traveling with his family, according to the state-run Vietnam News Agency. The child's body was found close to a nearby island, VNA reported, citing local survivor, a 36-year-old Vietnamese man, described escaping the overturned boat by dumping his life jacket and swimming through an underwater 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 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 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 been holidaying in Vietnam's popular tourist bay with 11 university friends. Only three of their group 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 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 capsize reportedly happened near the Dau Go Cave – one of the largest in the Bay is a popular tourist hotspot and a UNESCO world heritage site comprising about 1,600 limestone islands and islets. — CNN

Tourist boat capsizes during a thunderstorm in Vietnam, leaving 34 dead, 8 people remain missing
Tourist boat capsizes during a thunderstorm in Vietnam, leaving 34 dead, 8 people remain missing

Arab News

time4 days ago

  • Arab News

Tourist boat capsizes during a thunderstorm in Vietnam, leaving 34 dead, 8 people remain missing

HA LONG BAY, Vietnam: A boat carrying tourists capsized during a sudden thunderstorm in Vietnam on Saturday afternoon during a sightseeing excursion, killing 34 people, state media reported. Eight others remain missing. The Wonder Sea boat was carrying 48 passengers and five crew members — all of them Vietnamese — during the tour of Ha Long Bay, a popular destination for visitors, according to the reports. Rescue workers saved 11 people, and recovered the dead near the site of the capsizing, VNExpress newspaper said. Twenty-three people remain missing. Authorities had earlier reported that 12 people had been rescued, but later revised the figure to 11. The boat turned upside down because of strong winds, the newspaper said. A 14-year-old boy was among the survivors, and he was rescued four hours after being trapped in the overturned hull. The newspaper said that most of the passengers were tourists, including about 20 children, from Hanoi, the country's capital. 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, including Ha Long Bay's coast next week.

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