'Boat Had Barely Moved 300 Metres': Eyewitness Recounts Vietnam Tragedy That Killed 15 Indian Tourists
'Boat Had Barely Moved 300 Metres': Eyewitness Recounts Vietnam Tragedy That Killed 15 Indian Tourists Published By, Last Updated: July 12, 2026, 07:08 IST Smartphone
'Boat Had Barely Moved 300 Metres': Eyewitness Recounts Vietnam Tragedy That Killed 15 Indian Tourists Published By, Last Updated: July 12, 2026, 07:08 IST Smartphone maker Lava International condoled the deaths of Indian tourists, saying it was in touch with the Indian Embassy and would extend support to those affected. Rapid Read First-hand rescue accounts from civilian boat operators revealed that emergency efforts were severely hindered because numerous victims were trapped inside the flipped hull. (Photo: X) After a boat accident on Saturday that led to the deaths of 15 Indian tourists near Vietnam’s Phu Quoc Island, an Indian national who witnessed the tragedy said that the speedboat had barely travelled 300-400 metres from the shore when it suddenly overturned. 48-year-old distributor of a mobile phone company from Andhra Pradesh’s Guntur, Ashish Kumar, said that the tourists were divided into batches and ferried to the island as part of a company outing. “We had all gone there as sellers, distributors and employees of Lava Mobile. We reached Vietnam on July 9 and were supposed to return to India on Sunday morning," Kumar told news agency PTI over the phone. According to him, one of the three boats, carrying 32 Indian tourists, had departed from Hon May Rut Ngoai Island for another island, while the other two groups remained on the island, taking photographs.
“The incident happened around 1:30 pm local time. The boat had gone barely 300 to 400 metres when it tipped over. We were taking pictures, and it happened before we could react," he said. While adding that the weather conditions were not adverse, Kumar said, “The boat had hardly left the island. We were all screaming for help." “There was some wind, but that is expected on an island," he said. He claimed that while rescue teams quickly arrived at the scene and transported the survivors and bodies to the shore, medical teams were not immediately available. “The rescue teams got active, and the bodies were brought back. However, there were no medical teams even to administer CPR. We are all in a state of shock," he said. Kumar said he was travelling alone, unlike several others in the group who were accompanied by their families. “A distributor friend I know was travelling with his wife on the boat. His wife has died, while he is fighting for his life in a hospital," he said. According to Kumar, the group has now returned to its hotel. ‘Boat Overturned In A Flash’ A survivor, Nirmal Kumar, a resident of Tamil Nadu’s Palani, recounted the nightmare, saying the group of 39 passengers had set out for lunch on the boat when it overturned within seconds due to high waves and possible overloading.
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