37 dead as tourist boat sinks in Vietnam

KABUL (Pajhwok): At least 37 people have been killed, with several others still missing, after a tourist boat capsized in Vietnam’s Ha Long Bay.

The incident, reportedly caused by bad weather, took place in Ha Long Bay, a popular tourist destination in northern Vietnam, the BBC reported.

Most of the passengers aboard the vessel were Vietnamese families from the capital, Hanoi.

Search and rescue efforts have been hampered by heavy rain, but authorities have managed to rescue 11 survivors from the water so far.

The boat, named Wonder Seas, was carrying 53 people when it capsized after encountering a sudden and violent storm.

According to a statement from the Vietnamese Border Guards and the Navy, the storm struck rapidly, with an eyewitness recounting that the sky darkened around 14:00 local time (07:00 GMT). “There were hailstones as big as toes, torrential rain, thunderstorms, and lightning,” the eyewitness told AFP news agency.

Rescue operations continue amid difficult weather conditions, with authorities working to locate any remaining survivors.

sa