Five remain missing after tourist boat capsizes in Vietnam

Five people remain missing after a boat carrying tourists capsized during a sudden thunderstorm in Vietnam during a sightseeing excursion, killing 38 people.

The Wonder Sea was carrying 48 passengers and five crew members – all of them Vietnamese – on a tour of the popular destination of Ha Long Bay, according to state media reports.

Rescue workers saved 11 people and recovered the dead near the site of the capsizing, VNExpress newspaper said. One survivor died in hospital due to their injuries.

The boat turned upside down because of strong winds, the newspaper said. A 14-year-old boy was rescued after four hours trapped in the overturned hull.

The newspaper said most of the passengers were tourists from Hanoi, including about 20 children.

A tropical storm is also moving towards the area. A national weather forecast said Storm Wipha is expected to hit Vietnam’s northern region next week, including Ha Long Bay’s coast.

One man who survived the capsizing has described his escape from the overturned vessel.

Dang Anh Tuan said as the boat embarked on a three-hour excursion, a storm quickly covered the sky, bringing high winds and pouring rain.

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 the vessel moving forward.

“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,” the 36-year-old 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.”

Mr Tuan and three others survived by clinging on to the capsized boat and its propellers, waited another two hours until the rain stopped and rescued arrived.

He was a holiday with 11 university friends, only three of whom survived.

The other nine members of his group included a man who was travelling with his wife and three-year-old son, who were also killed.