Latest news with #VietnameseTourists
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Death toll rises in Vietnam tour boat disaster, officials say
STORY: ::The death toll in a tourist boat accident climbs to dozens, Vietnamese officials say :: July 20, 2025 ::Halong Bay, Vietnam Video from Vietnam Television (VTV) showed search and rescue efforts continuing overnight, with rescuers flipping the capsized boat upright and calling out for survivors. 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. The official Vietnam News Agency reported that several children were among the tourists, who were all Vietnamese. The government said in a statement, at least 10 people had been rescued and that the sunken boat had been retrieved. Authorities reported strong winds, heavy rainfall and lightning in the area at the time of the incident, adding that these conditions were not yet influenced by the approaching typhoon but were due to wind patterns over the northern region.
Reuters
2 days ago
- Climate
- Reuters
Vietnam hunts four missing after sudden thunderstorm capsized tourist boat
HALONG BAY/HANOI, Vietnam, July 20 (Reuters) - Dozens of rescuers were scrambling in Vietnam on Sunday to trace four missing people after retrieving the bodies of dozens killed when a thunderstorm capsized a boat in the top tourist destination of Halong Bay, authorities said. Despite a calm sea, rescuers, from police and border guards to divers and navy personnel, were battling limited visibility hours before the expected landfall in northern Vietnam of Typhoon Wipha, which is now approaching Hong Kong. The government said rescuers had managed to retrieve the sunken boat and revised down the death toll to 35 from an initial 38 on Saturday, while cutting an estimate of those aboard to 49 from 53, though officials fear the toll could still rise. All the tourists aboard were Vietnamese, including several children, the official Vietnam News Agency said. "My brother can swim, but I was told everything happened too fast," Tran Trung Tu, 39, whose sibling was 32, told Reuters at a funeral parlour on Sunday. The accident was one of the worst in recent years in the UNESCO-protected archipelago of thousands of limestone islands about 200 km (125 miles) northeast of Hanoi, which draws tens of thousands of visitors each year. The sudden thunderstorm turned the sky dark in a matter of minutes, felling trees in the capital of Hanoi, where officials at the Noi Bai international airport said nine flights were diverted and three departures temporarily halted. "It is the first time I have experienced an accident with so many casualties here," said insurance agent Do Thi Thuy. A tour boat sank in Halong Bay in 2011, killing 12, with some foreign tourists among them. The government said the accident was caused by a "sudden" storm. Strong winds, heavy rain and lightning were reported around the time of the event, at 2 p.m. on Saturday. "I was told life vests were available, but it was too sudden," said Do Van Hai, 42, a Halong resident. "Hopefully, the missing ones will be found soon."
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Death toll from Vietnam tourist boat accident climbs to 38
Death toll from Vietnam 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. "At least 38 of those on board have been confirmed dead and 10 rescued," the government said in a statement. The official Vietnam News Agency reported that all the tourists were Vietnamese, including several children. Dozens of rescuers, including border guards, navy personnel, police and professional divers, have been deployed. Although the sea had calmed, weather conditions limited visibility, making rescue operations difficult. Rescuers managed to retrieve the sunken boat, the government said. The accident took place around 2 p.m. local time (0700 GMT) on Saturday, soon after Typhoon Wipha entered the South China Sea. Authorities reported strong winds, heavy rainfall and lightning in the area at the time of the incident, adding that these conditions were not yet influenced by the approaching typhoon but were due to wind patterns over the northern region. Halong Bay, about 200 km (125 miles) northeast of Hanoi, attracts tens of thousands of visitors every year. Boat tours are particularly popular. In 2011, the sinking of a tour boat in Halong Bay killed 12 people, including foreign tourists. Typhoon Wipha, the third to hit the South China Sea this year, is projected to make landfall along Vietnam's northern coast early next week.
