Latest news with #HaLongBay
CNN
27 minutes ago
- Climate
- CNN
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 37 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 said there were 53 passengers and crew on board and 10 people had been rescued. 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.
CNN
29 minutes ago
- Climate
- CNN
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 37 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 said there were 53 passengers and crew on board and 10 people had been rescued. 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.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
At least 37 dead and several missing after tourist boat capsizes in storm in Vietnam's Ha Long Bay
At least 37 people died after a tourist boat capsized in Vietnam during a thunderstorm on Saturday, state media announced. Five people are reportedly still missing. The boat, called The Wonder Sea, was carrying 48 passengers and five crew members, all Vietnamese nationals. They had been on a sightseeing excursion of Ha Long Bay, one of the country's most popular tourist destinations, when a sudden storm with strong winds turned the vessel upside down. According to the newspaper VNExpress, a rescue team managed to save 11 people and recovered 27 bodies, eight of them children, in the vicinity of the wreck. Initially, 12 survivors had been reported, but the figure was later corrected. The newspaper reported that most of the passengers, including 20 children, were tourists from the capital Hanoi. Among those rescued was a 14-year-old boy, who was found alive after spending four hours trapped in the upside-down hull of the boat. The tragedy comes just as a new tropical storm, named Wipha, heads towards northern Vietnam. The storm marks the third typhoon to hit the South China Sea this year, is expected to make landfall at the start of next week. The national meteorological centre has warned that the coastal region of Ha Long Bay could be significantly impacted, which would further complicate search and rescue operations. Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is home to thousands of limestone islands and islets and is known for its emerald waters. The tourist spot attracts tens of thousands of visitors each year.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
At least 37 dead after tourist boat loaded with children capsizes in Vietnam
At least 37 people have died and a number of others are still missing after a tourist boat capsized during stormy weather in Vietnam. The tragedy unfolded in Ha Long Bay - a popular tourist destination in the north of the country - at around 2pm local time. The majority of the passengers were reportedly Vietnamese families, including around 20 children, visiting from the capital Hanoi. The boat, named Wonder Seas, was carrying 53 people - 48 tourists and five crew members - when it sank during a sudden thunderstorm, Vietnamese authorities said. It is believed the boat overturned due to strong winds - with heavy rainfall and lightning also reported in the area on Saturday. A 14-year-old boy was among the survivors, and he was rescued four hours after being trapped in the overturned hull. There has so far been no official announcement on the nationality of the tourists as emergency crews continue to look for survivors. Tran Trong Hung, a resident in the Ha Long Bay said: 'The sky turned dark at around 2pm.' There were 'hailstones as big as toes with torrential rain, thunderstorm and lightning', he said. Police, Navy, border guards, and port authorities are still scouring the waters, with 27 boats and two rescue crafts reportedly attending the scene. Teams of divers have also been searching both inside the capsized ship's cabin and the surrounding area in search of the missing victims. According to VnExpress, the boat had been sailing through Ha Long Bay at 12.55pm, before being struck by the storm at around 1.30pm. By 2.05pm, the vessel had lost its GPS signal, the local newspaper added, citing the Quang Ninh Provincial People's Committee. Ha Long Bay, which is about 125 miles northeast of Hanoi, attracts tens of thousands of visitors every year. Boat tours are hugely popular. Last year, 30 vessels sank at boat lock areas in coastal Quang Ninh province along Ha Long Bay after Typhoon Yagi brought strong wind and waves. Earlier this month, a ferry sank off the popular Indonesian resort island of Bali, killing at least 18 people. The weather came as Storm Wipha, the third typhoon to hit the South China Sea this year, is projected to make landfall along Vietnam's northern coast next week. Weather linked to the storm also disrupted air travel. Noi Bai Airport said nine arriving flights were diverted to other airports, and three departing flights were temporarily grounded on Saturday. Torrential rain also lashed northern Hanoi, Thai Nguyen and Bac Ninh provinces on Saturday. In the capital Hanoi, several trees were knocked down by strong winds.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Man tells of escape from capsized Ha Long Bay tourist boat
A man who survived the capsizing of a tour boat in Ha Long Bay has told how he escaped by swimming out through a window underwater. Dang Anh Tuan, 36, was on holiday with 11 university friends, when the Wonder Sea overturned on a sightseeing tour during a sudden thunderstorm. Only three of his group survived, while the nine others, including a man who was travelling with his wife and three-year-old son, were among at least 38 people killed. Five other people remain missing from the boat, which was carrying 48 passengers and five crew members, all of whom were Vietnamese, according to state media. Mr Tuan said a storm quickly covered the sky, bringing high winds and pouring rain, as the boat embarked on a three-hour trip. He 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 moving forward. "The boat capsized in less than a minute. 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," he 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." Read more from Sky News: Mr Tuan survived by clinging on to the capsized boat and its propellers, waiting for another two hours until the rain stopped and rescue workers arrived. They saved 11 people, including a 14-year-old boy trapped for four hours in the overturned hull, but one survivor died in hospital, according to the VNExpress newspaper. The newspaper said most of the passengers were tourists from Hanoi, including about 20 children, and the boat turned upside down because of strong winds. Mr Tuan escaped with minor cuts, but one of his friends suffered multiple injuries to his head while another cut his tendons as he tried to escape the boat through a broken window. Speaking from her hospital bed, survivor Dang Thuy Linh said her family and friends were still missing. "There are still my husband, my child(ren), my friend and their family. I hope they will all be rescued soon," she said. "Don't leave anyone in the boat. The air is running thin and hope for surviving is running out." A tropical storm is also moving towards the area, with a national weather forecast predicting Storm Wipha will hit Vietnam's northern region next week, including Ha Long Bay's coast. Ha Long Bay is around 125mi (200km) north east of Hanoi and attracts tens of thousands of visitors each year.
