Vietnam's Halong Bay boat disaster death toll rises to 38
World
The boat, carrying 53 people, tipped over as Storm Wipha approached across the South China Sea
HANOI (Reuters) – The death toll from the capsized boat in Vietnam's Halong Bay rose to 38 on Sunday, according to the Vietnamese government - becoming one of Vietnam's worst recent accidents in Halong Bay.
Video from Vietnam Television (VTV) showed search and rescue efforts continuing overnight, with rescuers flipping the capsized boat upright and calling out for survivors.
On Saturday, the state media reported 27 deaths after a tourist boat capsized in stormy weather.
Most of the tourists were from the capital, Hanoi, local newspaper VnExpress reported. Rescue teams found 11 survivors and recovered 27 bodies, eight of them children, the state-run Vietnam News Agency said, citing local authorities.
Halong Bay, about 200 km (125 miles) northeast of Hanoi, attracts tens of thousands of visitors every year. Boat tours are hugely popular.
Storm Wipha, the third typhoon to hit the South China Sea this year, is projected to make landfall along Vietnam's northern coast early next week.
Weather linked to the storm also disrupted air travel. Noi Bai Airport said nine arriving flights were diverted to other airports, and three departing flights were temporarily grounded on Saturday.
