At least 38 people die in northern Vietnam boat capsizing incident, 10 rescued

Ten people have been rescued following a tourist boat capsize in Ha Long Bay, northern Vietnam due a sudden thunderstorm on Satuday afternoon, while 38 others died and five are still missing.

This is the latest update from the Naval Service by 8 a.m Sunday. Emergency services are racing against time to locate the remaining missing persons before the storm No. 3 arrives.

At 1:30 a.m. Sunday, the wrecked tourist boat had been turned over and pulled ashore.

According to initial reports, the Vinh Xanh 58 (or Wonder Sea) tourist boat was carrying 48 Vietnamese passengers and five crew members on sightseeing Route 2 of the Ha Long Bay (Sung Sot Cave-Ti Top Island) when it encountered a sudden thunderstorm at around 2 p.m. Saturday.

Authorities mobilized nearly 300 people to the rescue scene, including the Navy, Coast Guard, Border Guard, Quang Ninh Military Command, Rescue Police, and 30 boats of various types. The Navy mobilized over 20 water commandos from Brigade 126 to participate in the search.

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha and Quang Ninh province's Party chief Vu Dai Thang were present at the site to oversee and direct the rescue operations.

Initially, Quang Ninh province provided support of VND25 million (nearly $1,000) per deceased victim and VND8 million ($300) per injured victim. Authorities also arranged accommodation and covered all living expenses for the victims’ families during their stay in the province.

According to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, the storm No. 3 (storm Wipha) is heading towards the Gulf of Tonkin. From Sunday night, the northern Gulf of Tonkin will see winds gradually increase from level 6 to level 11, gusting to level 14, with waves 2-4 meters high and 3-5 meters near the center.

Ha Long Bay in the northern province of Quang Ninh is a UNESCO-recognized natural heritage site and Vietnam's top tourist attraction.