Relatives anxiously gathered at the wharf of Vietnam’s renowned Ha Long Bay on Sunday, awaiting news of loved ones after a tourist boat capsized, killing dozens.
Fruits and flowers were laid on the coast for the 37 confirmed fatalities from Saturday’s wreckage, in what some are calling the worst disaster ever to hit the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
As rescuers continued their work into Sunday morning to salvage the sunken vessel, a handful of people remained missing.
The “Wonder Sea” tourist boat was reportedly carrying 53 individuals, including over 20 children, when it overturned.
Families’ Agony and Search Efforts
Hoang Quang, who rushed from Hanoi to Quang Ninh province, desperately sought information about his cousin and her family.
The couple, a housewife and fruit seller married to a bus driver, had “tried their best” to afford the trip to the world-famous bay. “They found the body of (the husband), not my cousin yet,” Hoang told AFP, visibly shaken. “Suddenly, the victims were my relatives—anyone would be scared. We didn’t know what to do, except to keep waiting,” he said, holding onto hope for his cousin’s return.
By early Sunday, the wreckage had been towed to the wharf, and 11 people had been rescued and hospitalised.
Security guard Nguyen Tuan Anh, who spent the night witnessing ambulances carrying bodies away, described the scene as “painful.”
He reflected, “I don’t think I have experienced this scene before. This may be the worst accident ever in Ha Long Bay,” attributing the tragedy to an “unpredictable” and “unprepared” sudden whirlwind that also tore apart a nearby music stage.
Hundreds of rescuers, including professional divers, soldiers, and firefighters, participated in the overnight search for survivors amidst heavy rain.
A rescue worker described the devastation, recalling, “As the boat turned upside down, several people were stuck inside the cabin. My other rescuers pulled up two bodies and rescued one.”
Ha Long Bay is one of Vietnam’s most popular tourist destinations, attracting millions annually to its iconic limestone islands and waters.
