Vietnam boat accident highlights: Boat carrying Indians had barely left shore when it capsized, says eyewitness

• The boat which capsized near the Phu Quoc Island in Vietnam was carrying 32 Indian tourists. Among them, 15 lost their lives, while 17 others and the crew members were rescued.

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was “extremely saddened” after hearing about the incident in Vietnam. “Our officials are also in close contact with the Vietnamese authorities,” PM Modi said in a post on X.

• Vietnamese PM Le Minh Hun on Saturday issued an urgent investigation into the boat capsize and directed authorities to take action against those responsible.

• Lava Mobiles on Saturday said some of its employees were among the Indian tourists who were killed in Vietnam. The employees were there on a work trip.

"Our immediate priority is to extend all possible support to those affected and their families. Our teams in both India and Vietnam are in regular contact with the families and are providing all possible assistance," Lava said.

• The Embassy of India in Vietnam has confirmed that among those killed, 10 people were residents of Tamil Nadu, 3 from Andhra Pradesh and 2 from Kerala.

Vietnam boat accident LIVE: Ashish Kumar, a 48-year-old distributor of a mobile phone company from Andhra Pradesh's Guntur, recounted moments before the tourist boat capsized.

“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, according to PTI news agency.

“The boat had hardly left the island. We were all screaming for help,” he added.

Vietnam boat accident LIVE: The brother of one of the deceased in the Vietnam boat accident has appealed to the Centre and state government to bring the mortal remains back.

"My younger brother, Murugaprabhu Arumugam, travelled to Vietnam three days ago. We received the shocking news that he died in the boat accident. We sincerely appeal to the state and central governments to take immediate steps to bring his mortal remains back to India," ANI cited Karthikeyan as saying.

Vietnam boat accident LIVE: Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday condoled the death of 15 Indian tourists in a boat capsize in Vietnam.

“This is a deeply tragic and heartbreaking incident,” Sarma said, sharing a post of the Indian Embassy in Vietnam with the names of the deceased. “On behalf of the people of Assam, I extend my heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families. We stand with them in this hour of grief and pray for the sadgati of the departed souls,” he added.

Vietnam boat accident LIVE: MP from Tamil Nadu's Ramanathapuram, Navaskani, said Lava Mobiles had organised a tour to Vietnam for its mobile sales personnel, who were also on the boat which capsized.

“The death of Sheikh Abdullah had been officially confirmed and efforts were being made in coordination with both the Central and Tamil Nadu governments to bring the mortal remains back to Tiruchirappalli at the earliest. The exact cause of the accident was still not clear,” the MP said, according to ANI news agency.

“…Preliminary information suggests that the boat was carrying a large number of passengers and encountered rough sea conditions after sudden high waves, leading to the mishap,” he added.

Vietnam boat accident LIVE: Vietnam Prime Minister Le Minh Hun on Saturday issued an urgent investigation into the boat capsize near Phu Quoc.

In a statement shared by the Consulate General of Vietnam in Mumbai on Facebook, the Vietnamese authorities expressed their deepest sympathies over the tragedy involving Indian nationals. “Urgently investigate and determine the cause of the accident, and strictly deal with--in accordance with the law--any organizations or individuals found to have violated regulations and caused this exceptionally serious accident,” a statement shared by the Consulate General of Vietnam in Mumbai on Facebook said.

Vietnam boat accident LIVE: A boat carrying a group of Indian tourists which capsized off an island in south Vietnam on Saturday had barely travelled 300-400 metres from the shore when the incident took place, an eyewitness said, according to PTI news agency.

“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,” Ashish Kumar, a 48-year-old distributor of a mobile phone company, said.

Vietnam boat accident LIVE: Congress MP and leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Saturday condoled the deaths of Indian tourists in Vietnam.

“My heartfelt condolences to the families who have lost their loved ones. My thoughts are also with those who are still missing, and with their families enduring an agonising wait,” Rahul said in a post on X.

He added, “I urge the Government of India and the Ministry of External Affairs to work closely with the Vietnamese authorities to ensure that every possible effort is made in the ongoing rescue operations and that all necessary assistance is extended to the affected families.”

Vietnam boat accident LIVE: Andhra Pradesh BJP unit president PVN Madhav called the accident “unfortunate.”

“We are in touch with the External Affairs Ministry regarding bringing back the bodies and safe transportation. They've issued a call to the Vietnam embassy, which is also in full swing, to see how the accident happened,” Madhav told ANI news agency.

Vietnam boat accident LIVE: Andhra Pradesh minister Kollu Ravindra said two members on the capsized boat were from Machilipatnam.

“One of those family members died in that accident. One is in serious condition... The CM and the IT minister also spoke to the embassy, and they are arranging all arrangements for them to come here...” the minister told ANI news agency.

Vietnam boat accident LIVE: A video taken near the site of the accident shows rescue efforts underway.

Vietnam boat accident LIVE: The wife of prominent businessman Gelly Kishore, Jayashree, is among the victims of the boat accident, PTI news agency reported. Her family has sought swift repatriation of her body.

Vietnam boat accident LIVE: Aam Aadmi Party national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday said he was “deeply pained” by the boat accident in Vietnam.

“My sincere condolences to the bereaved families during this time of profound grief. I urge the Central Government to ensure all possible support to those affected by this tragedy,” Kejriwal said in a post on X.

Vietnam boat accident LIVE: Tamil Nadu chief minister Vijay on Saturday said he has instructed officials to take action through the Indian Embassy to bring the mortal remains of Tamils who died in the boat capsizing incident, PTI news agency reported.

Vijay expressed condolences to the kin of those who lost their lives.

Vietnam boat accident LIVE: ) The Kerala government on Saturday began efforts to gather more information about two Keralites who were on a boat that capsized in Vietnam.

“The chief minister has directed the NORKA CEO to contact the Vietnam Embassy to obtain more details about the boat accident in Vietnam in which two Keralites were among those affected,” a statement from the chief minister's office said.

NORKA is the Department of Non-Resident Keralites Affairs, which takes care of the people from the state who are living in other parts of the country and abroad.

Vietnam boat accident LIVE: Vietnamese Prime Minister Le Minh Hung ordered an investigation into the cause of the accident and directed authorities to hold those responsible accountable, the Associated Press reported.

Minh Hung also directed authorities to review waterway and maritime safety in the area where the boat capsized and similar areas.

Vietnam boat accident LIVE: Even as the boat capsized, visuals of rescue efforts on Vietnamese TV showed rough seas and strong winds, with rescue teams throwing life buoys to people in the water. Jet skis ferried survivors back to shore while people on the beach provided first aid to victims.

Vietnam boat accident LIVE: The Indian Embassy in Vietnam shared list of people who died in Vietnam on Saturday.

“It is with profound grief that we share the list of 15 Indian nationals who have lost their lives in the tragic boat accident near Phuc Quoc Island today. The list has been recieved from the Vietnamese authorities. Our prayers are with the families of the deceased,” it wrote on X.

Vietnam boat accident LIVE: Eyewitnesses told VN Express that nearby boats rushed to the scene and began pulling passengers from the water, before border guards, the navy, coast guard and other rescue agencies arrived.

The rescue was difficult because many were trapped inside, VN Express reported.

Vietnam boat accident LIVE: 21 people, including 17 passengers and four crew members, were rescued from the boat. 15 Indian tourists were killed in the accident. A video taken near the site of the capsizing incident shows rescue efforts.

Vietnam boat accident LIVE: The Embassy of India in Vietnam has confirmed that among those killed, 10 people were residents of Tamil Nadu, 3 from Andhra Pradesh and 2 from Kerala.

21 persons, including 17 passengers and four crew members, have been rescued and hospitalised. Two of them are in critical condition, ANI news agency reported.

Vietnam boat accident LIVE: Lava Mobiles on Saturday said some of its employees were among the Indian tourists who were killed in Vietnam.

“We are deeply saddened to learn about the tragic boat incident that took place in Vietnam today. The incident involves some of our channel partners and team members,” the company said in a statement on X, adding that it was in constant touch with the Indian Embassy and local authorities.

"Our immediate priority is to extend all possible support to those affected and their families. Our teams in both India and Vietnam are in regular contact with the families and are providing all possible assistance," Lava said. “We are awaiting further updates from the authorities and will continue to provide timely information as it becomes available to us,” it added.

Vietnam boat accident LIVE: President Droupadi Murmu on Saturday condoled the deaths of 15 Indian tourists after a tourist boat capsized in southern Vietnam.

“Saddened by the news of a boat accident in Vietnam in which many Indian nationals lost their lives. My deep condolences to the grieving families. I pray for speedy recovery of the injured.,” the President said in a post on X.

Vietnam boat accident LIVE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was extremely saddened after hearing about the incident in Vietnam. “Extremely saddened to learn about the tragic news of a boat accident involving Indian nationals near Phu Quoc, Vietnam,” PM Modi said, expressing condolences to the families of the deceased.

“My sincere condolences to the families who lost their loved ones. My prayers for the early recovery of the injured survivors,” PM Modi said, adding that the Embassy and Consulate were providing all possible assistance. “Our officials are also in close contact with the Vietnamese authorities,” PM Modi said in a post on X.

Vietnam boat accident LIVE: The speedboat which capsized in Vietnam was carrying 32 Indian tourists. Among them, 15 were killed in the accident. The Embassy of India in Vietnam has released the names of passengers who were onboard the boat, and those who were killed in the incident.