Vietnam boat tragedy: Police detain captain for flouting safety norms as boat overturns killing 15 Indians
PTC News Desk: Vietnamese police have detained the captain of the speedboat that capsized off the country's southern coast on Saturday, killing 15 Indian tourists. The captain, identified as Nguyen Hong Hai, 57, is being investigated for allegedly violating inland waterway transport safety regulations, according to state media.
Authorities said the speedboat was carrying 32 Indian tourists and four Vietnamese crew members when it overturned on Saturday afternoon, less than 500 metres from the shore, shortly after leaving Hon May Rut Ngoai Island near Phu Quoc, Vietnam's largest island.
The Indian Embassy in Hanoi said on Sunday that 16 survivors had been discharged from hospital and were on their way back to India. However, one survivor remains in critical condition at a hospital in Vietnam.
The embassy added that the bodies of the 15 victims were being taken to Ho Chi Minh City before being flown to India after completing the required formalities.
All those who died were part of a company trip organised by Lava International. The group, which included employees, distributors and retail partners, had split into three boats while travelling between islands near Phu Quoc.
Ashish Kumar, a 48-year-old distributor from Guntur who witnessed the incident from the shore, told the Associated Press that one boat had already left while the other two were still docked when the vessel suddenly capsized less than half a kilometre from land.
Ha Van Loc, the captain of a nearby boat, told VN Express that he saw around a dozen people clinging to the overturned vessel while others without life jackets struggled in the rough sea. He and his crew managed to rescue four survivors after throwing life buoys into the water.
- With inputs from agencies
