Dozens dead in Vietnam after tourist ferry sinks
HANOI
Rescuers searched desperately on Sunday for five people still missing after at least 38 were killed when a boat capsized at one of Vietnam's most popular tourist destinations.
The tourist boat ferrying families around Vietnam's famed Ha Long Bay was lashed by a sudden storm Saturday in one of the deadliest disasters at the UNESCO World Heritage site.
The vessel "Wonder Sea" was carrying 48 passengers and five crew when it capsized because of sudden heavy rain, the VNExpress news site said.
Tran Trong Hung, a resident in the Ha Long Bay area, told AFP: "The sky turned dark."
There were "hailstones as big as toes with torrential rain, thunderstorms and lightning," he said.
Most of those on board were families visiting from the capital, Hanoi, with more than 20 children among the passengers, it said.
Border guards had rescued 11 people and recovered 34 bodies, it added.
Overnight, the bodies of three crew members were found in the cabin, and rescue efforts continued into Sunday morning to find the five people still missing.
One of the rescued died in hospital yesterday, bringing the toll to 38, VNExpress said.
One of the rescued, a 10-year-old boy, told state media outlet 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 on."
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh sent his condolences to relatives of those killed and called on the defence and public security ministries to conduct urgent search and rescue.
Authorities would "investigate and clarify the cause of the incident and strictly handle violations," a government statement said.
