Vietnam News

Sunday, July 20, 2025, 21:48 GMT+7

Rescue boats reach capsizing site within 10 minutes in Ha Long Bay tragedy that killed at least 35: military official

In the wake of the tragic capsizing of a tourist boat in Ha Long Bay in Quang Ninh Province, northern Vietnam on Saturday afternoon, which claimed 35 lives and left four missing, local authorities held a press briefing on Sunday to provide official updates, emphasizing that rescue vessels reached the scene within 10 minutes.

Rescue boats reach capsizing site within 10 minutes in Ha Long Bay tragedy that killed at least 35: military official

The capsized tourist boat is towed to Cai Lan Port in Quang Ninh Province, northern Vietnam, July 20, 2025. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre

The incident happened during a sudden thunderstorm, when extreme weather conditions made immediate detection and rescue difficult, heard the press conference chaired by Nguyen Van Cong, vice-chairman of the Quang Ninh People’s Committee.

A tourist boat, with 49 people on board, flipped over while traveling in Ha Long Bay at around 2:00 pm on Saturday.

The capsizing occurred about three nautical miles from the mainland, due to a sudden thunderstorm with strong winds.

Before the tragic incident, the vessel had lost its GPS signal.

Border guards and rescuers were quickly mobilized, along with dozens of boats, to the scene for search and rescue efforts.

As of 10:00 am on Sunday morning, rescuers had saved 10 people and recovered 35 bodies, while four were still missing after the fatal incident, as per the most updated figures.

Senior Colonel Hoang Van Thuyet, political commissar of the provincial Military Command, stated that at noon on Saturday, the weather was very sunny, but at around 2:00 pm, a sudden thunderstorm accompanied by hail struck, and at that point, the tourist boat lost signal.

The extreme weather lasted for about an hour afterward.

In response to a reporter’s statement that a victim claimed they were not rescued until three hours after the boat capsized, he explained that in the open sea, detecting an overturned boat amid poor visibility due to heavy rain and strong winds was extremely difficult.

However, once the alert was raised, rescue forces arrived at the scene within approximately 10 minutes and managed to save the lives of 10 people.

The rescue operation involved 1,000 officers, rescuers and fishermen, and 100 boats and vessels.

Search and rescue efforts were conducted overnight.

The 35 bodies were handed over to their families.

Four people remain missing, and forces are continuing to search urgently, especially as storm Wipha, the third to hit the East Vietnam Sea this year, is threatening to disrupt rescue operations.

At the time of the incident, storm Wipha was located over 1,000 kilometers east of Ha Long Bay, with peak winds at 89-102 km/h (level 10) and gusts up to level 12.

As such, the storm had not yet directly impacted the Gulf of Tonkin region.

The capsizing was caused by a sudden thunderstorm, triggered by a tropical convergence zone and prolonged heat, not by storm Wipha, according to a meteorological expert.

“By Sunday evening, we must race against time to find the remaining victims,” Senior Colonel Thuyet said.

“If the storm makes landfall, we will be forced to suspend the search."

Thunderstorm warning came too late

Bui Hong Minh, deputy director of the provincial Department of Construction, said at the press briefing that according to weather forecasts provided earlier on Saturday, conditions in Ha Long Bay were expected to remain mild with winds at levels 2–3.

There were no thunderstorm warnings at the time the tourist boat departed.

A warning for thunderstorms and gusty winds only arrived at 1:30 pm, after the boat had already left the port.

In response, the port management board immediately suspended all remaining tourist boat departures and alerted boat owners to the dangerous weather.

Rescue boats reach capsizing site within 10 minutes in Ha Long Bay tragedy that killed at least 35: military official
- Ảnh 1.

Nguyen Van Cong, vice-chairman of Quang Ninh Province, chairs a press briefing on July 20, 2025 after a tourist boat capsized, killing at least 35 people. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre

80–90% of victims wore life jackets

Addressing questions about safety regulations and the requirement to wear life jackets on tourist boats, Minh clarified that current regulations only mandate passengers wear life jackets during river crossings.

For longer routes, life jackets are only required when there is a risk to safety, and the captain will provide instructions accordingly.

However, evidence from the recovery operation indicated that 80–90 percent of the victims were wearing life jackets.

This showed that the captain had instructed passengers to wear life jackets in preparation for possible emergency situations, Minh said.

Free medical care for survivors

Bui Manh Hung, deputy director of the provincial Department of Health, said that the department responded swiftly and decisively, deploying 12 emergency teams along with ambulances to the locations receiving the victims.

By Saturday evening, an additional 31 ambulances were mobilized to assist families in transporting the bodies of the deceased back home.

All 10 survivors have stabilized and continue to receive medical care.

A young child whose parents and sibling perished in the accident has been transferred to the Vietnam National Children’s Hospital in Hanoi for further treatment.

Another survivor, Thuy Linh, lost her entire family in the incident and requested early hospital discharge to arrange funerals.

Hung confirmed that all medical care for the victims has been provided free of charge.

Quang Ninh vice-chairman Cong expressed deep condolences to the families of the victims.

“By 4:30 am on Sunday, the capsized vessel was towed to a safe mooring point, showing the determination of the province and rescue forces,” he stated.

The province is working to support affected families and children who lost their parents.

Quang Ninh will ensure these orphans receive the care and support they need to contribute to society in the future, he said.

Tieu Bac - Tien Nguyen - Than Hoang - Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre News

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