Vietnam cops detain speedboat captain day after capsize kills 15 Indians
Vietnamese police detained the captain of a speedboat that capsized off the country's southern coast a day earlier, killing 15 Indian tourists, for alleged violations of waterway transport safety regulations.
Vietnamese police on Sunday detained the captain of a speedboat that capsized off the country's southern coast a day earlier, killing 15 Indian tourists near Phu Quoc Island. The 57-year-old captain, Nguyen Hong Hai, is being investigated for alleged violations of waterway transport safety regulations, according to Vietnamese state media.
The speedboat was carrying 32 Indian tourists and four Vietnamese crew members when it overturned less than half a kilometre from shore on Saturday afternoon, shortly after departing Hon May Rut Ngoai island near Phu Quoc, Vietnam's largest island.
The victims were part of a company-sponsored reward trip organised by Indian smartphone maker Lava International for its employees, distributors and retail partners. Lava said 14 of those killed were channel partners, while one was a company employee. The group included people from Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala.
According to the Indian Embassy in Hanoi, 16 survivors have been discharged from hospital and are returning to India, while one injured person remains in critical condition. The bodies of the victims are being transported to Ho Chi Minh City before being repatriated to India after completion of official formalities.
The Indian Embassy said 10 of the victims were from Tamil Nadu, three from Andhra Pradesh and two from Kerala.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the tragedy and conveyed condolences to the families of the victims. He said the Indian Embassy and Consulate in Vietnam were providing all possible assistance and remained in close contact with Vietnamese authorities.
WHAT EYEWITNESS SAID ON BOAT TRAGEDY
An eyewitness, Ashish Kumar, a Lava distributor from Andhra Pradesh's Guntur who was on the trip, told AP that the group had split into three batches to travel between islands. He said the first boat had already left while two others remained near the shore when the vessel suddenly overturned.
"The boat was relatively close to shore when it flipped. We screamed, 'Help! Help!'" Kumar said, adding that nearby boats rushed to assist, but many passengers had already been thrown into the rough waters.
Local boat operator Ha Van Loc told Vietnamese media that he spotted the overturned vessel around 12:40 pm and saw several passengers clinging to the hull while others struggled in the sea without life jackets. He and his crew rescued four survivors by throwing life buoys attached to ropes before alerting other boats and rescue teams.
Nearly a dozen boats joined the rescue effort, but rough seas and waves reaching up to three metres hampered operations. Jet skis were later used to bring survivors back to shore.
State media reported that passengers had been instructed to wear life jackets before departure, though many were carrying them rather than wearing them when the accident occurred. Some passengers were trapped inside the vessel and escaped through windows and the bow after it capsized.
Vietnamese police on Sunday detained the captain of a speedboat that capsized off the country's southern coast a day earlier, killing 15 Indian tourists near Phu Quoc Island. The 57-year-old captain, Nguyen Hong Hai, is being investigated for alleged violations of waterway transport safety regulations, according to Vietnamese state media.
The speedboat was carrying 32 Indian tourists and four Vietnamese crew members when it overturned less than half a kilometre from shore on Saturday afternoon, shortly after departing Hon May Rut Ngoai island near Phu Quoc, Vietnam's largest island.
The victims were part of a company-sponsored reward trip organised by Indian smartphone maker Lava International for its employees, distributors and retail partners. Lava said 14 of those killed were channel partners, while one was a company employee. The group included people from Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala.
According to the Indian Embassy in Hanoi, 16 survivors have been discharged from hospital and are returning to India, while one injured person remains in critical condition. The bodies of the victims are being transported to Ho Chi Minh City before being repatriated to India after completion of official formalities.
The Indian Embassy said 10 of the victims were from Tamil Nadu, three from Andhra Pradesh and two from Kerala.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the tragedy and conveyed condolences to the families of the victims. He said the Indian Embassy and Consulate in Vietnam were providing all possible assistance and remained in close contact with Vietnamese authorities.
WHAT EYEWITNESS SAID ON BOAT TRAGEDY
An eyewitness, Ashish Kumar, a Lava distributor from Andhra Pradesh's Guntur who was on the trip, told AP that the group had split into three batches to travel between islands. He said the first boat had already left while two others remained near the shore when the vessel suddenly overturned.
"The boat was relatively close to shore when it flipped. We screamed, 'Help! Help!'" Kumar said, adding that nearby boats rushed to assist, but many passengers had already been thrown into the rough waters.
Local boat operator Ha Van Loc told Vietnamese media that he spotted the overturned vessel around 12:40 pm and saw several passengers clinging to the hull while others struggled in the sea without life jackets. He and his crew rescued four survivors by throwing life buoys attached to ropes before alerting other boats and rescue teams.
Nearly a dozen boats joined the rescue effort, but rough seas and waves reaching up to three metres hampered operations. Jet skis were later used to bring survivors back to shore.
State media reported that passengers had been instructed to wear life jackets before departure, though many were carrying them rather than wearing them when the accident occurred. Some passengers were trapped inside the vessel and escaped through windows and the bow after it capsized.
