10 tourists from Tamil Nadu, 3 from Andhra killed in Vietnam boat capsize

Ten tourists from Tamil Nadu and three from Andhra Pradesh were among the 15 Indians killed in the tourist boat capsize near Vietnam's Phu Quoc Island, with both state governments extending support to the affected families.  Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu expressed grief over the deaths of three Andhra Pradesh people in the Vietnam boat tragedy. Two injured tourists are undergoing treatment.

 

  "Three Andhra Pradesh people died in the Vietnam boat mishap. We are coordinating with the Indian Embassy and the Vietnamese authorities, and all necessary assistance is being extended to the affected families. Further updates will be shared as more official information becomes available," Andhra Pradesh government sources told PTI.  

Meanwhile Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay instructed officials to take all necessary steps to bring their mortal remains to the state. Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay expressed his deepest condolences and heartfelt sympathies to the kin of Tamil tourists who lost their lives in Vietnam.  Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar said he was deeply saddened to learn about the tragic incident in Vietnam which claimed the lives of Indian tourists, including those from Tamil Nadu. He conveyed his condolences to the bereaved families and prayed for the speedy recovery of all those injured.

A survivor, Nirmal Kumar from Palani, told PTI Videos over the phone that the speedboat they travelled on overturned within seconds, reportedly due to high waves and possible overloading.

Most of the tourists onboard the boat were from Tamil Nadu, and two were in a hospital in a critical condition.

The uncle of Alagurajan Sivasamy, killed in the boat tragedy, told reporters in Tiruchirappalli that the HR and CE Minister S Ramesh, the district minister, has conveyed to them that all steps were being taken to expeditiously bring the bodies of the victims.

"He went from here only on Wednesday morning for the trip," he said, expressing grief.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday also expressed grief over the deaths of Indian nationals in a boat accident in Vietnam and said that Indian missions are providing all possible help. "Extremely saddened to learn about the tragic news of a boat accident involving Indian nationals near Phu Quoc, Vietnam," Modi said in a post on X. The prime minister also said that the Indian Embassy and Consulate are providing all possible assistance. "Our officials are also in close contact with the Vietnamese authorities," he said.  The tourist speedboat carrying 32 Indian tourists and four crew members capsized near Phu Quoc Island while returning to An Thoi Port, the sources further said.

The accident claimed the lives of 15 Indian tourists, while 21 others were rescued. Of the survivors, 17 were passengers, and four were crew members.

 

Naidu said 33 people from Andhra Pradesh visited Vietnam, of whom 19 were on the boat. Three died, while the remaining passengers were rescued. Reviewing the incident, the chief minister sought details of relief measures and the tourists' condition.

 

He directed officials to ensure the survivors' safe return to Andhra Pradesh.

 

"Officials should remain in touch with the families of the deceased and provide them with all required assistance," Naidu said in a press release.

 

Naidu also directed officials in Andhra Pradesh Bhavan in Delhi to coordinate with Vietnamese authorities and the Indian Embassy to provide all required support to affected tourists and families.

 

The three deceased from Andhra Pradesh have been identified as N Adiseshaiah Ravi Teja from Hindupuram in Sri Satya Sai district, Mudiyam Sreedhar of Kadapa district and Gelli Jaya Lakshmi of Machilipatnam in Krishna district, official sources said.

 

Meanwhile, reacting to the tragedy, Teja's brother said the 41-year-old had left for Vietnam on July 8 on a company-sponsored incentive trip organised for mobile phone distributors.

 

"We have been hearing that he died in the boat accident, but it is still hard to believe because we have not received any official confirmation," he told reporters.

 

Similarly, family members of Sreedhar said he had travelled from Kadapa to Chennai, then Bangkok and onward to Vietnam on July 8. He was expected to return within two days.

 

"We received a call informing us about the accident, but we are still unable to believe it. We can accept it only after seeing his body," a family member said.

 

Another relative said Sridhar's trip had been sponsored by a mobile phone company as he was its distributor in Kadapa district.

 

"The company's employee, Nayeem, informed us about the incident. Doctors in Vietnam later confirmed his death," the relative said.

 

The families appealed to the authorities to facilitate the early repatriation of the bodies to Andhra Pradesh.

 

Rescue operations have concluded, with all 36 persons on board accounted for. An investigation has been launched, with adverse weather, rough sea conditions and possible mechanical failure being examined as possible causes of the accident.

 

The tour was organised by Vietnam-based Threeland Travel through local coordinating vendor Sai Vietnam, while the Indian tourist group was reportedly associated with the mobile company.

 

Meanwhile, Harihar Srinivas, a member of the Indian tourists group, told PTI on Saturday that 105 mobile distributors from South India had travelled to Vietnam on a business incentive trip.

 

According to Srinivas, eight people from Telangana were also part of the overall tour, but none of them was on the boat that capsized.

 

He said the group had reached the island on Saturday.

 

"As far as we know, around 70 members were hospitalised. We took them to the hospital, but we do not know what happened afterwards because we are still on the island," he said.

 

Explaining the incident, Srinivas said strong winds caused the boat to overturn. It was a closed boat. That is the issue. If it had been an open boat, the risk might not have been as high, he added.