An anchored boat packed with sleeping travelers sank earlier today in Vietnam's scenic Ha Long Bay, killing 12 people from nine different countries (U.S., Britain, Australia, Japan, Russia, France, Sweden and Switzerland) in the deadliest tour boat accident since the country opened to foreign visitors 25 years ago. The 12 were confirmed dead at the scene along with a Vietnamese tour guide.
An additional 9 passengers and six locals were rescued by other tour boats in the bay's emerald waters. The survivors reported seeing a wooden plank on their ship ripping away at around 5 a.m. as the ship was anchored for the night.
"Crew members tried to stop the water from coming in and alerted the tourists who were sleeping, but the water came in and the boat sank quickly," reports Vu Van Thin, chief administrator of Quang Ninh province.
There were 27 people total, including six crew members, aboard the boat and all have been accounted for, Thin reported. The vessel, which is owned by Truong Hai Co., was anchored alongside dozens of other cruise boats and weather conditions were calm at the time of the sinking.
All bodies were sent to Bai Chay Hospital for identification this afternoon, where survivors received treatment for minor injuries, said Ngo Van Hung, director of Ha Long Bay's management board.
The official Vietnam News Agency published the victims' names and ages, most of them aged 20 to 25, seven were women. They include a Briton, two Americans, one Japanese, one French, two Swedes, two Russians, one Swiss and one person of Vietnamese origin living in Australia.
Police have launched a criminal investigation into the cause of the accident, which remained unclear Thursday.
Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage site dotted with limestone formations, is located near the Chinese border in the Gulf of Tonkin about three hours east of the capital, Hanoi.
Ha Long Bay is one of the country's top tourist attractions, drawing more than 5 million visitors a year to the province where 1,600 stunning jagged rock formations rise out of the bay, forming tiny islands. More than 100 cruise boats are licensed to offer overnight service there, and last year the province received 5.4 million visitors.
The bay has seen boats go down in the past. In 2009, a tour boat sank during a storm, killing five, including three foreign vacationers. In 2006, a powerful wind storm capsized several boats, killing 13 people, though no tourists were among the dead. In 2002, strong winds capsized two tourist boats, killing several foreigners.
As I scratch this place off my "to-go" list...
SCREAM @ ME!!!
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