A tourist boat capsized near Phu Quoc Island in southern Vietnam on Saturday, killing at least 15 Indian tourists, state media reported. The speedboat was carrying 32 Indian tourists, according to the Indian Embassy in Hanoi, Vietnam.
Among the dead were two women and 36 men. The embassy also published the names of the tourists who were on board the ship. Among the travelers:
- Balasubramani Palaniswami
- Selvam Pichiah
- Sethil Kumar Jayavel
- Sivakumar Muthukumarasamy
- Nirmal Kumar Sethuraman
- Muruga Prabhu Arumugam
- Ruban Silva Nathan Jacob Yesopatham
- Sridhar Dharmarajan
- Vigneshwar Radhakrishnan Gopal
- Ramasubo Anafi
- Abu Thalkha Zahir al-Din
- Sridhar Sundarjan
- Vamshedar Sailor Ramraj
- Singadivel Kuppusamy
- Nagalamadojo Sohan
- Nalapita Adiseshaya Raviteja
- Sheikh Abdullah Abdul Majeed
- Rajeev Kalyanan
- Balaji Natsan
- Vinaya Kumar Chithapuram Bhaskara
- Ravisankar Sugumaran
- Vipul Uttam Chand
- Santosh Kumar Shantilaljain
- Babu Kuppuswamy
- Alagurajan Sivasamy
- Vasantha Kumar Anandan
- Sridhar Modiam
- Jaya Lakshmi Jelly
- Kishore Gilli
- Avicot Cherian Thomas
- Lovini Thomas
- Ramesh Kumar Pacchiappan
Apart from the tourists, the boat was carrying four crew members. The Associated Press quoted authorities as saying that the boat capsized about 400 meters (1,310 feet) from Hon Mai Rout Ngwai Island.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences to the families of the deceased in a post on X, saying he was “deeply saddened” after hearing news of the tragedy. “Our embassy and consulate are providing all possible assistance. Our officials are also in close contact with the Vietnamese authorities,” Prime Minister Modi said, adding that he prays for the early recovery of the injured survivors.
Nearby first responders boated, saving 21 people
According to eyewitnesses quoted by Vietnamese online news site VN Express, nearby tourist boats were the first responders and rushed to the site for help within five minutes after spotting the capsized boat. While the boat owner participating in the rescue operations arrived at the scene within five minutes, efforts were hampered because many tourists were trapped inside the overturned boat.
21 people were rescued, and all the dead were recovered. The authorities said that the injured were taken to hospitals. “Only a few people were taken out while they were conscious,” one of the boat owners told VN Express. The owner added that the sea off An Thuy was rough at the time, even though there was no rain. However, other boats are still operating in the area.
Following the incident, An Thuy Border Guard sent two ships and 35 personnel to join the rescue efforts alongside the Navy, Coast Guard and other forces. A representative from the Ocean Pear Island Company said the speedboat was taking tourists on an island hopping trip. The captain, who was in his 50s, had many years of experience operating passenger boats, according to VN Express.
