Vietnamese police detained the captain of a speedboat that capsized off southern Vietnam, killing 15 Indian tourists, state media reported.
The speedboat was carrying 32 Indian tourists and four crew members when it overturned about 400 meters from Hon May Rut Ngoai Island near Phu Quoc, Vietnam’s largest island, authorities said.
The captain, Nguyen Hong Hai, 57, was now under investigation for alleged violations of waterway transport safety regulations, state media reported.
Eyewitnesses told VN Express that nearby boats rushed to the scene and began pulling passengers from the water, before border guards, the navy, coast guard and other rescue agencies arrived. The rescue was difficult because many were trapped inside, VN Express reported.
Twenty-one people were rescued, and all the dead were recovered, authorities said. The injured were taken to local hospitals.
Sixteen survivors of Saturday’s speedboat accident had since been discharged from hospital and were returning to India, the Indian embassy in Hanoi said on Sunday. One remains in critical condition in a Vietnamese hospital.
The bodies of the victims were being transported to Ho Chi Minh City before being flown to India after official formalities, according to the embassy.
Footage on Vietnamese TV showed rough seas and strong winds as rescue teams threw life buoys to people in the water. Jet skis ferried survivors back to shore while people on the beach provided first aid to the victims.
All 15 victims were on a company trip organised by Lava International, a smartphone and consumer electronics manufacturer, for its employees, distributors and retail partners, the company said.
Ashish Kumar, a 48-year-old distributor for the company from the Indian city of Guntur who took part in the trip, said that the party had split into three groups to travel between islands when he witnessed the accident from shore.
The first boat had already departed while the other two were still docked when it capsized.
The boat was relatively close to shore when it flipped, he told the Associated Press over the phone. “We screamed, ‘Help! Help!’”
Nearby boats immediately rushed to the rescue. “But by then it was too late,” he said.
Vietnamese prime minister Le Minh Hung ordered an investigation into the cause of the accident and directed authorities to hold those responsible accountable. He also asked authorities to review waterway and maritime safety in the area where the accident happened and other similar areas.
Indian prime minister Narendra Modi said the tourists were employees of a private mobile phone company taking part in an annual meeting. He wrote on social media that Indian Embassy personnel were at the scene.
Phu Quoc in the Gulf of Thailand is one of Vietnam’s most popular beach destinations. Hon May Rut island is about 10 kilometres (6 miles) south of Phu Quoc. They’re known for their white-sand beaches and clear waters and draw millions of domestic and foreign tourists each year.
The cause of the accident wasn’t immediately clear and an investigation was underway.
