A speedboat carrying 32 Indian tourists capsized near the popular southern Vietnam destination of Phu Quoc island on Saturday, the Indian Embassy in Hanoi said.
Fifteen people were killed, according to the Vietnamese news site VnExpress, which cited the local authorities. The boat was carrying four crew members in addition to the tourists, the site reported. In a statement, the embassy did not give a death toll but and said it was “ascertaining further details of casualties.”
The speedboat was traveling from a nearby island to An Thoi, a port at the southern tip of Phu Quoc that is a gateway for visitors, VnExpress reported. By Saturday afternoon, rescuers had brought to shore the 21 surviving passengers and the bodies of the dead — 13 men and two women — according to the outlet
The Indian Embassy said that control rooms had been set up in Hanoi, the capital, and Ho Chi Minh City, in southern Vietnam, for families looking for information.
Tourists visit Phu Quoc and its nearby islands for its white sand beaches and coastal landscapes.
