A Vietnamese man who survived a tourist boat capsizing in Ha Long Bay described his escape from the overturned vessel.
At least 35 people died in the crash, and the search continues for four who are still missing, according to Vietnamese state media. Authorities said the previous report of 38 dead and five missing was incorrect.
The Wonder Sea departed early Saturday afternoon for a three-hour excursion to Ha Long Bay, a popular tourist destination, with 46 passengers and three crew members.
But a storm quickly swept across the sky, bringing strong winds and torrential rain, the survivor, identified as Dang Anh Tuan, told The Associated Press.
Tuan said passengers asked the ship to return to shore, but the crew assured them they were almost there and continued moving through the storm.
“It rained for about 15 minutes, then the boat started shaking hard, tables and chairs were moving from side to side and seconds later the boat capsized,” said the 36-year-old fire extinguisher salesman.“Water came rushing in and I lost my bearings.”
“I tried to breathe, but more water came in. I took a deep breath, took off my life jacket, and went under. I saw a ray of light and followed it to swim out, escaping the boat, and then climbed onto the overturned boat to get help,” he said.
Tuan and several others survived by clinging to the overturned boat and its propellers, and waited another two hours before the rain stopped and rescuers arrived.
The Wonder Sea was later seen being towed to a shipyard for investigation, with most of its windows shattered and damage to its roof and railings. Police and other officers are seen working on the vessel.
Rescue teams recovered 11 survivors, but one later died in hospital due to injuries, the VNExpress newspaper reported.
The ship capsized due to strong winds, the newspaper reported. A 14-year-old boy was rescued after four hours trapped in the overturned hull.
The newspaper reported that most of the passengers were tourists from Hanoi, including about 20 children.
Tuan was on vacation with 11 university friends, of whom only three survived. Tuan suffered only minor cuts, but one of his friends suffered multiple head injuries, and another suffered tendon cuts from broken glass as they escaped from the boat through a window.
The other nine members of the group died, including one traveling with his wife and three-year-old son. The wife and child also drowned.
A tropical storm is also approaching the area. The national weather forecast indicates that Storm Wipha is expected to hit northern Vietnam next week, including the coast of Ha Long Bay.
