Boat flipped within minutes, 15 were trapped: Survivor recalls Vietnam tragedy
A survivor of the speedboat tragedy near Phu Quoc in Vietnam has described how a routine island-to-island trip turned fatal within minutes, leaving 15 Indian
A survivor of the speedboat tragedy near Phu Quoc in Vietnam has described how a routine island-to-island trip turned fatal within minutes, leaving 15 Indian tourists dead. The boat, carrying 32 Indian tourists and four local crew members, capsized near Hon May Rut Ngoai on Saturday. Speaking to PTI Videos after arriving in Chennai on July 13 night, survivor Nirmal Kumar said the group had boarded a large, closed speedboat to travel from one island to another during the final leg of their trip, which began on July 8. Read Full Story "Within three minutes of boarding and barely crossing 300 metres, the boat went upside down," he said. "A massive, extremely rough wave hit the boat, causing it to tilt slightly.
Suddenly, the passengers on the left side fell toward the right, shifting the entire weight and flipping the boat completely upside down." Kumar said the driver and the guide were the first to jump into the water. Seeing them, he and about 20 other passengers also jumped out and escaped, but those seated at the back could not get out. "Because it was a closed boat, about 15 members got trapped inside. Even though they were wearing life jackets, the capsized boat pinned them down, and they couldn't make it out," he said. Kumar said rescue teams reached the spot within 10 minutes and pulled out those floating outside, but it took 20 to 30 minutes to recover those trapped under the vessel.
He said he stayed back to help in the recovery operation. Kumar, who is from Palani in Dindigul district, also lost his childhood friend Muruga Prabhu in the accident. "I only left Vietnam after ensuring his body was recovered and the necessary procedures were completed," he said. He also said a doctor in the tour group felt the lack of immediate medical supplies at the spot affected early efforts to save lives. "Our co-passenger doctor mentioned that if certain medicines had been readily available at the spot, four to five more lives could have been saved. We are explaining this to the Vietnam government," Kumar said. He said 10 of the victims were from Tamil Nadu - four from Chennai, three from Tiruchirapalli and one each from Salem, Erode and Tiruppur.
The mortal remains reached Mumbai at 9.30 pm on July 13 and are to be flown to Chennai and Coimbatore on Tuesday morning, with the government making arrangements to receive the bodies and hand them over to their families. Thanking the Indian Embassy and the Vietnam government for round-the-clock coordination, Kumar also appealed to the Centre and the state governments to support the bereaved families. "It was an unexpected tragedy on foreign soil. The families are devastated, and it would be immensely helpful if the government could announce a relief package to support them," he said. Ends
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