'Boat Had Barely Moved 300 Metres': Eyewitness Recounts Vietnam Tragedy That Killed 15 Indian Tourists

After a boat accident on Saturday that led to the deaths of 15 Indian tourists near Vietnam’s Phu Quoc Island, an Indian national who witnessed the tragedy said that the speedboat had barely travelled 300-400 metres from the shore when it suddenly overturned.

48-year-old distributor of a mobile phone company from Andhra Pradesh’s Guntur, Ashish Kumar, said that the tourists were divided into batches and ferried to the island as part of a company outing.

“We had all gone there as sellers, distributors and employees of Lava Mobile. We reached Vietnam on July 9 and were supposed to return to India on Sunday morning,” Kumar told news agency PTI over the phone.

According to him, one of the three boats, carrying 32 Indian tourists, had departed from

Hon May Rut Ngoai Island for another island, while the other two groups remained on the island, taking photographs.

“The incident happened around 1:30 pm local time. The boat had gone barely 300 to 400 metres when it tipped over. We were taking pictures, and it happened before we could react,” he said.

While adding that the weather conditions were not adverse, Kumar said, “The boat had hardly left the island. We were all screaming for help.”

“There was some wind, but that is expected on an island,” he said.

He claimed that while rescue teams quickly arrived at the scene and transported the survivors and bodies to the shore, medical teams were not immediately available.

“The rescue teams got active, and the bodies were brought back. However, there were no medical teams even to administer CPR. We are all in a state of shock,” he said.

Kumar said he was travelling alone, unlike several others in the group who were accompanied by their families.

“A distributor friend I know was travelling with his wife on the boat. His wife has died, while he is fighting for his life in a hospital,” he said.

According to Kumar, the group has now returned to its hotel.

‘Boat Overturned In A Flash’

A survivor, Nirmal Kumar, a resident of Tamil Nadu’s Palani, recounted the nightmare, saying the group of 39 passengers had set out for lunch on the boat when it overturned within seconds due to high waves and possible overloading. He said 20 people managed to escape, while 15 were trapped inside the boat.

“A big wave hit us; 20 people came out of it, and the remaining members got stuck. It’s a closed boat. Since we were on the front, we (Kumar and a friend) managed to survive. Others who were behind got stuck. The boat authorities maintained proper safety measures,” he told PTI.

‘Deeply Saddened’

Smartphone maker Lava International condoled the deaths of Indian tourists, saying it was in touch with the Indian Embassy and would extend support to those affected and their families.

Lava Mobiles said the incident involved some of its channel partners and team members.

‘We are deeply saddened to learn about the tragic boat incident that took place in Vietnam today. The incident involves some of our channel partners and team members,” it said on X.

“We are in constant touch with the Embassy of India in Vietnam and the local authorities to gather information about the safety and well-being of our people. Our immediate priority is to extend all possible support to those affected and their families. Our teams in both India and Vietnam are in regular contact with the families and are providing all possible assistance,” it added.

According to Vietnamese media reports, 15 Indian tourists lost their lives in the accident. The speedboat was carrying four crew members at the time of the incident.