At least 38 people have died and seven are missing after a tourist boat capsized during a sudden thunderstorm in Ha Long Bay, Vietnam, on Saturday afternoon. Rescue workers saved 12 people from the overturned vessel, the Wonder Sea, which was carrying 48 passengers and five crew on a sightseeing tour.
The boat went down in strong winds, according to state media. The official Vietnam News Agency said all the tourists on board were Vietnamese, including several children. A government statement confirmed at least 38 deaths and said ten people had been rescued.
Among the survivors was a 14-year-old boy who spent four hours trapped inside the overturned hull. Another survivor, Dang Anh Tuan, 36, told the Associated Press he swam out through a window after the boat filled with water. "Water gushed in and I lost all orientation," he said.
Mr Tuan said passengers had asked the crew to turn back to shore as the storm broke, but they were reassured the boat was almost at its destination and continued. He and three others clung to the capsized boat for two hours until rescue arrived. Most of the passengers were tourists, including about 20 children from Hanoi.
A tropical storm is also approaching the area, with Storm Wipha forecast to hit northern Vietnam, including the Ha Long Bay coast, next week.
