Rescuers brave towering waves to save Indian tourists in deadly Phu Quoc speedboat accident

Rescuers battled towering waves and strong currents to save dozens of Indian tourists after a speedboat capsized off Phu Quoc Island on July 11.

The accident left 15 people dead and several were injured as the passengers clung desperately to the overturned vessel.

Seeing them struggle in the rough waters, captain Ha Van Loc steered his tour boat toward the disaster.

"They were being dragged under by the waves but kept waving for help," Loc, 44, an employee of local tour company Dang Khoa Trip, says.

He says at around 12:40 p.m. that day, while sailing from May Rut Ngoai Islet to pick up passengers at Thom Islet, he spotted the overturned vessel in the distance. Both are islets off Phu Quoc Island.

Of around 10 men clinging to the hull and several buffeted in the waters, many lacked life jackets.

Loc immediately rushed toward them, but found it impossible amid the waves to steer his boat safely alongside them fearful of the propeller.

So he kept his distance and, together with a crew member, threw life buoys attached to ropes for the victims to grab before hauling them in.

Within 10 minutes, they rescued three male tourists and one tour guide.

Loc says: "One of the tourists weighed nearly 100 kilograms. After being pulled aboard, all three kept vomiting. The tour guide just sat there crying, unable to say a word."

Realizing many people were still trapped in the water, Loc recorded a short video and sent it to a chat group comprising people operating boats, speedboats, and jet skis to call for assistance.

Within five minutes, nearly a dozen vessels and navy, coast guard, and border guard personnel arrived.

With waves reaching two to three meters high, the boats struggled to remain stable enough to pick up survivors.

The jet skis proved more maneuverable, allowing operators to reach victims one by one, place them on the back and ferry them to May Rut Ngoai Islet.

The group involved in the accident consisted of 32 employees of a mobile phone manufacturing company in Uttar Pradesh State in northern India.

Since July 9, they had been traveling to Phu Quoc in groups via Bangkok or Hanoi and stayed at the Radisson Blu Resort on Phu Quoc.

On the morning of July 11, they had traveled about 50 km from the resort to An Thoi Port for an island-hopping tour operated by Ocean Pearl Island.

May Rut comprises two islets, about 700 meters apart, May Rut Trong (inside rattan) and May Rut Ngoai (outside rattan), named after the rattan vines used to tie barrels for Phu Quoc's traditional fish sauce production.

Their white beaches, clear waters, and coral reefs attract large numbers of tourists.

At around 10 a.m., captain Nguyen Hong Hai, 57, left Phu Quoc’s An Thoi Port aboard an SB speedboat for May Rut Ngoai, 5.5 nautical miles (nearly 10 km) away.

The 30-minute journey was followed by swimming, sightseeing, seabed walking, and refreshments before the group planned to continue to May Rut Trong, Xuong, and Gam Ghi islets for snorkeling.

However, while traveling from May Rut Trong back to May Rut Ngoai, the vessel was overturned by large waves 400 meters from shore.

Several passengers later told investigators that the captain had, before departure, instructed everyone to wear life jackets, but many merely held them instead of actually putting them on.

When the boat capsized, some passengers were trapped inside the cabin, and some managed to escape over the bow or through windows with cuts and bruises.

Jet ski operator Nguyen Minh Tam, 37, was among those who had rushed to help.

Together with four colleagues, he transported survivors to shore before joining Ocean Pearl Island's diving team to search for people trapped inside the overturned boat.

Nguyen Minh Tam recounts rescuing survivors and bringing them ashore after a speedboat capsized in Phu Quoc. Photo by VnExpress/Dinh Van

Carrying oxygen tanks, the divers entered through the bow and windows and found several unconscious victims huddled together in one corner. He and his colleagues pulled them out one by one before bringing them ashore for CPR.

More than 45 minutes elapsed between the moment the boat capsized and the evacuation of the last victim. The final survivor, a man believed to be around 50 years old, reached shore shortly before 1:30 p.m.

On shore, many tourists and tour company staff took turns performing CPR and administering oxygen while those who were injured while escaping on their own were transported back to An Thoi Port. More than a dozen ambulances were waiting at the port to take them to Phu Quoc Sun Hospital.

Tam says the accident occurred amid thunderstorms and rough seas caused by the southwest monsoon. The speedboat capsized in an area where currents from different directions converge, often creating massive waves.

Having spent nearly a decade operating tourist vessels on the route, he says the route between An Thoi Port and May Rut Ngoai is popular with tour operators because of the islands' white beaches and coral reefs.

But he says in some places, there are often particularly large waves and almost all captains with experience slow down when going through them.

According to the Indian embassy in Hanoi, the 15 dead victims included 10 from Tamil Nadu, three from Andhra Pradesh, and two from Kerala states.

The embassy has established emergency contact points in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.

The victims' bodies were brought to the mainland on Saturday morning.

Of 17 survivors admitted to Phu Quoc Sun Hospital, two are in critical condition in the intensive care unit, while four have recovered and been discharged.

Tran Minh Khoa (second from right), chairman of the Phu Quoc Special Administrative Zone People's Committee, visits a tourist involved in the speedboat capsize in Phu Quoc on the evening of July 11, 2026. Photo by VnExpress/Dinh Van

Cho Ray Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City has dispatched two emergency physicians and a nurse to assist with the treatment of the most seriously injured.

Tran Minh Khoa, chairman of the Phu Quoc Special Zone People's Committee, said the tour operator would provide US$1,000 to the family of each deceased victim and $500 to each injured survivor.

Local authorities will also cover medical expenses and expedite investigative and administrative procedures in accordance with the wishes of victims' families.

Prime Minister Le Minh Hung on Saturday extended his condolences to the victims' families and instructed ministries and local authorities to mobilize all available medical resources and supplies to treat the injured.

Party General Secretary and President To Lam and the PM sent condolencemessages to Indian President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday.

They extended their heartfelt sympathies and deepest condolences to the state and people of India, especially the families of the victims.

They said Vietnamese authorities had swiftly deployed search-and-rescue operations, provided medical treatment to the injured, assisted victims' families, and worked closely with their Indian counterparts to address the aftermath of the incident.