The death toll from a tourist boat accident in Vietnam's Halong Bay has risen to at least 38, with several people still missing, the government said on Sunday, as rescue services continued to search for survivors. N1.
"At least 38 people from the boat have been confirmed dead, and ten have been rescued," a government statement said. The official Vietnam News Agency reported that all 48 tourists were Vietnamese nationals, including several children.
Dozens of rescuers, including members of the border guard, navy, police and professional divers, were deployed to the scene of the accident. Although the sea has calmed down, weather conditions continue to make the search difficult due to poor visibility.
The government has confirmed that the sunken ship has been pulled out of the sea. The accident happened on Saturday around 14:00 local time, shortly after Typhoon Wipha entered the South China Sea.
Authorities reported that strong winds, heavy rain and lightning were recorded in the area at the time of the accident, stressing that these conditions were not a direct result of the approaching typhoon, but rather the result of atmospheric instabilities over the northern part of the country.
In February 2011, a tourist boat capsized in the same bay, killing 12 people, including foreign tourists. Typhoon Wipha, the third to hit the South China Sea this year, is expected to hit Vietnam's northern coast early next week.
Source: N1
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