Tragedy at sea: Vietnam boat capsize survivors recount harrowing moments

Survivors of the accident state that rough seas in the Vietnamese waters and passengers sliding to one side when the boat turned caused the disaster.

The boat, which departed from Vietnam’s Hòn Mây Rút Ngoài island with 32 Indian passengers and four crew members, overturned and capsized shortly after. Fifteen people lost their lives in this accident, including 10 from Tamil Nadu, three from Andhra Pradesh, and two from Kerala. The bodies of the deceased are scheduled to arrive in India on Monday.

S. Nirmalkumar from Palani is one of the survivors who traveled on this boat. He described to The Hindu what happened when the boat capsized. “It was around 12 noon. Lunch had been arranged on a nearby island. Everyone on the boat was wearing a life jacket.”

“Since the sea was rough, the boat had been rocking ever since it departed. Although there were only 36 people on board, it felt overloaded. At one point, when the boat operator made a sharp turn, the boat tilted to one side. As a result, the weight shifted entirely to that side, causing it to lose balance. Following this, the boat turned upside down. All of this happened within three minutes of departure. At that time, the boat would have been just 300 meters away from the shore.”

“The boat operator and the guide jumped into the water as soon as the boat began to tilt. Sitting in the front section of the boat, I saw this, realized something was wrong, and jumped into the sea. Many others sitting in the front did the same. However, those sitting at the back could not get out. They got trapped inside when the boat turned upside down,” said S. Nirmalkumar.

S. Nirmalkumar also mentioned that he and his close friend Murugaprabhu had undertaken this journey together, but because his friend was sitting at the back of the boat, he could not escape when it capsized.

Ramasubbu, 51, another survivor of the same accident, shared additional details, stating that more lives could have been saved if additional medical assistance had been available at the accident site. “When the speeding boat turned, people on one side fell onto the other. Because of this, the weight on one side increased, and it began to capsize. Seeing those in the front jump off, I jumped into the water too. Some of those who were rescued from underneath the boat were still alive when they were pulled out. However, there weren’t enough doctors on the shore; there were only one or two. Furthermore, there were only one or two oxygen cylinders. By the time those in critical condition were taken to the hospital, they had passed away,” he said.