At least 34 dead after tourist boat capsizes in Vietnam's Ha Long Bay

A tourist boat ferrying families around Vietnam’s Ha Long Bay capsized in a storm on Saturday afternoon, leaving at least 34 people dead, according to state media reports, as rescuers scrambled to locate the missing.

The vessel was carrying 48 passengers and five crew members when it capsized in the UNESCO World Heritage site because of sudden heavy rain, the VNExpress news site said.

Most of those on board were families visiting from the capital Hanoi, with more than 20 children among the passengers, it said.

“Border guards rescued 11 people and recovered 34 bodies,” it added.

The boat turned upside down because of strong winds, the newspaper said. A 14-year-old boy was among the survivors, and he was rescued four hours after being trapped in the overturned hull.

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The newspaper said that most of the passengers were tourists, including about 20 children, from Hanoi, the country’s capital.

A tropical storm is also moving toward the area. A national weather forecast said that Storm Wipha is expected to hit Vietnam’s northern region, including Ha Long Bay’s coast next week.

Meanwhile, a tropical storm named Wipha is approaching the region. Vietnam’s national weather service has forecast that the storm will likely affect the northern coast, including Ha Long Bay, in the coming week.

With inputs from agencies