Hanoi [Vietnam], July 20 : At least 37 people have been confirmed dead after a tourist boat with 48 passengers and five crew members capsized around Vietnam's famed Halong Bay, local media reported on Sunday.
The boat tipped over at 1:45pm (local time) on July 19 near Ti Top Island in the Ha Long Bay World Heritage Site due to a sudden thunderstorm while carrying 48 tourists and five crew members, according to the Vietnam News outlet.
A total of 47 people have been recovered, with 10 survivors and 37 confirmed dead, including four victims whose identities are still being verified.
The cruise ship capsized in Ha Long Bay, in northern Vietnam's Quang Ninh province, on Saturday afternoon, the Vietnam News Agency reported.
The Vinh Xanh 58 tourist boat was salvaged and towed ashore in the early morning of July 20 for further investigation.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on July 19 issued an urgent dispatch, asking the Ministry of National Defence, in coordination with the Ministry of Public Security and other relevant ministries, agencies, and local authorities, to mobilise all available personnel and resources operating near the area to carry out search and rescue operations as swiftly and effectively as possible.
Most of the passengers were from Hanoi, traveling as families, including over 20 children. The oldest passenger was 53, and the youngest just 3, according to the VNExpress news site.
A crane barge was deployed to lift and right the capsized boat.
However, the report added that the ship's weight and strong currents prevented divers from looping cables around it.
The director of Vietnam's National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting said the ongoing rains in northern Vietnam were not due to the impacts of the approaching Storm Wipha from the South China Sea but due to wind patterns over the northern region.
Meanwhile in Hong Kong, authorities have issued a T10 signal warning, the highest warning for Typhoon Wipha, which is descending on the city with wind speeds of 118 km/h. Over 500 flights have been cancelled, with the public asked to take precautionary measures and remain in safe places.
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