A tragedy struck a tourist boat in Ha Long Bay, a popular tourist destination, on Saturday. It ran into difficulties during unexpected heavy rain showers and capsized around 2:00 PM local time (9:00 AM Belgian time). The boat was carrying 48 passengers and five crew members.

The death toll was revised several times throughout the day. The preliminary total is 34, including eight children, according to the Vietnam News Agency. Eleven of the crew were rescued, but eight are still missing. According to the BBC, most of the victims are Vietnamese families who had traveled to the bay from Hanoi.

Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh expressed his condolences to the families of the victims and said the cause of the accident would be investigated. The storm followed three days of intense heat, with temperatures reaching 37 degrees Celsius in some places. Its impact was also felt in the capital, Hanoi, where the winds downed trees.

Ha Long Bay is one of the most visited places in Vietnam, with hundreds of islands rising like pillars from the sea. The site is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

In 2024, thirty boats sank in the coastal province of Quang Ninh, on Ha Long Bay, when they were hit by Typhoon Yagi.