Dozens dead after Vietnam tourist boat capsizes
At least 34 people died after the sightseeing vessel was turned upside down by strong winds during a tour of Ha Long Bay on Saturday, state media reported.
The Wonder Sea boat was carrying 48 passengers and five crew members. Authorities earlier reported that 12 people had been rescued, but revised the figure to 11. Another eight people remain missing.
A 14-year-old boy was among the survivors and said he was rescued four hours after being trapped in the overturned hull.
“I took a deep breath, dived, then swam up. I even shouted for help, then I was pulled up by a boat,” the boy, who had been travelling with his parents, told VietnamNet.
Survivors sit on top of the capsized vessel as rescue workers arrive (AP)
A witness told AFP news agency that the sky darkened around 2pm local time on Saturday (7am BST). He said there were “hailstones as big as toes with torrential rain, thunderstorm and lightning”.
A picture showed two people sitting on top of the capsized vessel in choppy water as rescue workers arrived to help them.
People are rescued from the capsized boat after it was knocked over during a sudden thunderstorm (AP)
Last week, around 10 people went missing after a boat capsized off Indonesia;s Mentawai Islands in West Sumatra province due to bad weather.
Eight others were rescued after the boat sank on Monday around 11am local time, Indonesia’s national search and rescue agency said.
The boat had departed Sikakap, a small town in the Mentawai Islands, and was heading to another small town, Tuapejat. At least 10 government officials were among the 18 people on board the boat, according to reports.
Authorities deployed two boats and dozens of rescuers on Tuesday to find the missing people.
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