Vietnam Tragedy: Ha Long Bay Tourist Boat Capsizes, Killing 34

At slightest 34 group person died, and respective stay missing aft a tourer vessel capsized successful Vietnam’s Ha Long Bay connected Saturday, July 19, amid convulsive upwind conditions caused by Storm Wipha.

The vessel, carrying 53 group including families pinch children, overturned during a abrupt large wind successful nan UNESCO World Heritage site.

Storm Wipha

The tourist vessel, named Wonder Sea(s), capsized astir 2:00 p.m. section time, according to section media. The incident occurred arsenic nan region was battered by precocious winds, hailstones, torrential rain, and lightning.

A witnesser told AFP, “There were hailstones arsenic large arsenic toes pinch torrential rain, thunderstorm and lightning.”

According to Sky News, astir passengers were Vietnamese visitors from Hanoi, pinch astir 20 children believed to beryllium connected board.

So far, 34 bodies person been recovered, 8 of them children, and astatine slightest 12 survivors person been pulled from nan water. One boy, aged 14, was recovered live 4 hours aft nan accident, having survived successful an aerial pouch trapped wrong nan hull, VNExpress reported. The rescue cognition is ongoing and has been hampered by persistent bad weather.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has expressed condolences to nan families of nan victims and ordered an investigation into nan incident. A authorities connection said it would “strictly grip violations” linked to nan capsizing (Cited by nan BBC).

Storm Wipha, nan 3rd typhoon to deed nan South China Sea this year, is expected to make landfall on Vietnam’s bluish seashore early adjacent week. Wind speeds reached 63mph (101km/h) pinch gusts up to 68mph (126km/h), according to section reports.

The large wind has already disrupted flights astatine Hanoi’s Noi Bai Airport, diverting 9 incoming flights and grounding 3 outgoing ones owed to vulnerable upwind conditions.

Ha Long Bay, astir 125 miles (200km) northeast of Hanoi, draws millions of visitors each year. Many return overnight vessel tours to research its limestone islets and caves. In 2019 alone, it welcomed 4 cardinal tourists.

This disaster is simply a grim reminder of nan risks that travel pinch unseasonal upwind and expanding large wind intensity.

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