A tourist boat capsized on Vietnam’s Phu Quoc island on Saturday (July 11). 15 Indians died in this accident. The dead include 10 people from Tamil Nadu, 3 from Andhra Pradesh and 2 from Kerala. A total of 36 people were on board the boat at the time of the accident, including 32 Indian tourists and four local crew members. 21 people were taken out safely during the rescue operation. Meanwhile, the statements of the survivors of the accident have come to light. He described this horrifying scene.
Survivor Murugaraj from Tamil Nadu told that on Saturday morning the boat had gone about 2 km into the sea when a big wave came. Due to this the boat tilted to the right and the passengers fell on each other. He told, ‘We could not bear the pressure due to the capsizing of the ship. Somehow we got out of the window and held the railing. He said that the rescue team had reached within 5 minutes of the accident.
‘We were taking pictures when…’
Ashish Kumar, 48, a resident of Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, said that the tourists were divided into groups and taken to the island. He said, ‘This incident happened at around 1:30 pm local time. The boat had barely moved 300 to 400 meters when it overturned. He told that we were taking pictures and before we could understand anything this incident happened and everything was over in a moment. He told that the boat had barely left the island when we all started shouting for help.
‘There were high waves in the sea…’
Another survivor from Tamil Nadu, Nirmal Kumar, said that there were high waves in the sea and it is possible that due to more people on the boat than the capacity, the balance may have been disturbed. However, officials have not yet confirmed the official cause of the accident.
The trip was from Lava Mobiles
It is being told that this trip was organized by mobile phone company Lava Mobiles as a reward for those dealers and distributors who had performed well by meeting the sales target. The family members of the victims and the Indian Embassy have given information about the accident, after which there is mourning in the family.
Preparations to bring dead bodies to India
The Indian Embassy in Hanoi confirmed that among the dead were 10 people from Tamil Nadu, 3 from Andhra and 2 from Kerala. The state governments of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala said that they are working in coordination with the Center to bring the bodies to their respective states as soon as possible and provide all possible assistance to the bereaved families.
Lava Mobiles issued a statement
Meanwhile, Lava Mobiles issued a statement saying that it is in constant touch with the Indian Embassy and local authorities in Vietnam and is working towards bringing back the dead bodies as soon as possible. The company said that its teams in India and Vietnam are in touch with the affected families and are providing all possible assistance.
Phu Quoc is Vietnam’s largest island and is famous worldwide for its white sand beaches, coral reefs and island-hopping tours. Every year thousands of Indian tourists visit here. After this accident, the Ministry of External Affairs has issued helpline numbers and the Embassy is continuously monitoring the situation.
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