At least 27 people are dead after a tourist boat carrying 53 people capsized in stormy weather in Vietnam‘s Halong Bay.
The boat tipped over around 2pm local time (07:00 GMT) on Saturday, July 19, as Storm Wipha approached the country across the South China Sea. Strong winds, heavy rainfall and lightning were reported in the area.
Rescue teams found 11 survivors and recovered 27 bodies, eight of them children, the state-run Vietnam News Agency reported, citing local authorities.
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Most of those on board were families visiting from the capital Hanoi, with more than 20 children among the passengers, the news outlet VNExpress said.
One of the rescued children, a 10-year-old boy, told state-run VietnamNet: “I took a deep breath, swam through a gap, dived, then swam up. I even shouted for help, then I was pulled up by a boat with soldiers.”
Rescue efforts continued into the night to find people still missing.
Vietnam’s Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh sent his condolences to the families of the deceased.
Authorities will “investigate and clarify the cause of the incident and strictly handle violations”, a statement on the government’s website said.
Halong Bay is one of Vietnam’s most popular tourist destinations, with millions of people visiting each year.
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