Vietnam tourist speedboat capsizes, killing 15 Indian tourists

A boat returning from an island trip in southern Vietnam capsized on Saturday, killing 15 Indian tourists less than half a kilometre (0.30 mile) from shore, as passengers shouted for help, officials and a witness said.

The speedboat was carrying 32 Indian tourists and four crew members when it overturned on Saturday afternoon shortly after leaving Hon May Rut Ngoai Island, which is near Phu Quoc, Vietnam’s largest island, authorities were quoted as saying.

“The boat had not even gone half a kilometre when it just tipped over,” Ashish Kumar, an Indian who witnessed the accident, said over the phone. “We screamed, ‘Help! Help!’”

He said nearby boats immediately rushed to the rescue. “But by then it was too late,” he said.

Kumar said that there was no emergency medical care available at the shore when survivors were brought back.

He said that at least some of the passengers were on a company tour organised by their employer, which makes smartphones and other electronics.

Three of his friends were on the boat. “Two have died, and the other, I was told, is critical,” he said.