‘I don’t know how we survived’: Passenger from Tamil Nadu recounts Vietnam boat horror

4 min readChennaiUpdated: Jul 12, 2026 06:49 AM IST

Bereaved family members and relatives of Alagurajan Sivasamy, one of the victims who died after the speedboat they were travelling in capsized off Vietnam's Phu Quoc Island, mourn at his residence, in Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, Saturday, July 11, 2026. At least 15 Indian tourists were killed in the incident on Saturday, the Indian Embassy in Hanoi said. (PTI Photo)

“About 20 of us managed to escape from the boat, while the others drowned. I really don’t know how we survived,” said Nirmal Kumar, a passenger from Tamil Nadu rescued after a speedboat capsized off Vietnam’s Phu Quoc Island Saturday.

Fifteen Indians were killed in the accident, which occurred when the boat, carrying 36 people, overturned about 400 metres off May Rut Ngoai Islet, according to Vietnamese authorities. Of those killed, 10 were from Tamil Nadu, three from Andhra Pradesh and two from Kerala.

The Indian Embassy in Vietnam released the names of 32 Indian nationals who were on the boat, as well as a separate list of the deceased.

Kumar and several of the other passengers were distributors and sales partners associated with the Indian mobile phone manufacturer Lava. They had travelled to Vietnam as part of an incentive trip organised after they achieved sales targets. The group had left India on July 8.

“We were all excited when we started, but suddenly the boat encountered a giant wave and capsized in no time,” Kumar said. The passengers were travelling from Hon May Rut Islet to An Thoi Port for lunch when the accident occurred.

In a tragic incident, a boat carrying several Indian tourists has capsized near Phu Quoc Island in Vietnam a few hours ago.

Exact details of the incident are being ascertained as search and rescue operations by local authorities are ongoing.

In order to provide information…

— India in Vietnam (@AmbHanoi) July 11, 2026

Describing the moment the vessel overturned, he said: “We saw a giant wave strike the boat, and it turned upside down. Everything was over in a second. I’m unable to understand how I even escaped”.

Kumar said the sea had been rough. “I lost my friend and colleague, Murugaprabhu. All I remember is the wave hitting our boat,” he said, pausing repeatedly as he recounted the accident.

Tourist boats operating nearby rushed to the site after noticing the overturned vessel. According to him, the rescue started within a few minutes, but several passengers were trapped inside the capsized boat, complicating the operation.

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Kumar said all the passengers had been wearing life jackets and had followed the safety instructions issued by the boat operator. He added that Vietnamese police had recorded his statement.

#WATCH | A tourist boat carrying several Indian nationals capsized near Phu Quoc Island, Vietnam.

Video Source: Voice of Vietnam (VOV) https://t.co/lF8oA6zwci pic.twitter.com/Ko9GUUuUKY

— ANI (@ANI) July 11, 2026

While stressing that the exact cause remained unknown, Kumar said the number of passengers and the rough waves might have contributed to the accident. “The number of people could have been one reason, but we really don’t know what happened. The boat operators told us at the beginning that the ride would be safe,” he said.

Kumar and A Murugaprabhu were from Palani in Dindigul district. Other passengers from Tamil Nadu were from Chennai, Dharmapuri and Salem.

“Murugaprabhu was my close friend. I don’t know how I will face his family back home,” Kumar said, adding that the local rescue response had been swift.

According to Balaji, another sales partner, three distributors and sales partners from Tiruchirappalli had died. Murugaprabhu’s relatives said the Indian Embassy was in constant touch with the family and that efforts were under way to transport the victims’ bodies to India at the earliest.

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A couple from Kottarakkara town in Kerala’s Kollam district – 57-year-old A C Thomas, and his 56-year-old wife Loveny Thomas — were among the victims. Thomas was the managing director of Kottarakkara-based pharmaceutical and surgical distribution firm Victory Group and the South Kerala distributor for Lava mobiles.

A relative said the couple had left for Vietnam Tuesday. They are survived by their son A T Cheriyan and daughter Aswathi.

The Chief Minister’s Office said the government’s Non-resident Keralites Affairs department (NORKA) is coordinating with the Vietnam Embassy. The chief minister’s office is also in touch with the External Affairs Ministry, officials said.

© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd

Arun Janardhanan is an experienced and authoritative Tamil Nadu correspondent for The Indian Express. Based in the state, his reporting combines ground-level access with long-form clarity, offering readers a nuanced understanding of South India’s political, judicial, and cultural life - work that reflects both depth of expertise and sustained authority.

Expertise

Geographic Focus: As Tamil Nadu Correspondent focused on politics, crime, faith and disputes, Janardhanan has been also reporting extensively on Sri Lanka, producing a decade-long body of work on its elections, governance, and the aftermath of the Easter Sunday bombings through detailed stories and interviews.

Key Coverage Areas:

State Politics and Governance: Close reporting on the DMK and AIADMK, the emergence of new political actors such as actor Vijay’s TVK, internal party churn, Centre–State tensions, and the role of the Governor.

Legal and Judicial Affairs: Consistent coverage of the Madras High Court, including religion-linked disputes and cases involving state authority and civil liberties.

Investigations: Deep-dive series on landmark cases and unresolved questions, including the Tirupati encounter and the Rajiv Gandhi assassination, alongside multiple investigative series from Tamil Nadu.

Culture, Society, and Crisis: Reporting on cultural organisations, language debates, and disaster coverage—from cyclones to prolonged monsoon emergencies—anchored in on-the-ground detail.

His reporting has been recognised with the Ramnath Goenka Award for Excellence in Journalism.

Beyond journalism, Janardhanan is also a screenwriter; his Malayalam feature film Aarkkariyam was released in 2021. ... Read More

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