Ha Long Bay boat accident: Tourist vessel capsizes, leaving over 30 dead and more than dozen missing in Vietnam's most visited attractions
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Vietnam Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh Responds
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Storm Hit Suddenly
Ha Long Bay's Troubled Waters
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At least 28 people have died and more than a dozen are missing after a tourist boat carrying families around Vietnam's famous Ha Long Bay capsized on Saturday, according to state media.The boat was carrying 48 passengers and five crew members when it overturned due to sudden heavy rain in the UNESCO World Heritage site, Dan Tri news site reported.Most of those on board were families visiting from the capital city, Hanoi, and included more than 20 children, according to VNExpress.'Border guards rescued 12 people and recovered 18 bodies,' the report said. Search and rescue teams were expected to continue looking for the missing late into the night.Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh expressed his condolences to the families of the victims. He asked the defence and public security ministries to carry out urgent search and rescue operations.A government statement said that officials would 'investigate and clarify the cause of the incident and strictly handle any violations.'A resident of the Ha Long Bay area Tran Trong Hung told AFP that the weather changed suddenly around 2 pm.'The sky turned dark... There were hailstones as big as toes, heavy rain, thunderstorms and lightning,' he said.The same storm also brought strong winds and rain to the northern provinces of Hanoi, Thai Nguyen and Bac Ninh. In Hanoi, strong winds uprooted several trees.This storm came after three days of extreme heat, with temperatures reaching up to 37°C in some areas.The Director of the National Centre for Hydrometeorological Forecasting Mai Van Khiem told VNExpress that the storm was not related to Tropical Storm Wipha in the South China Sea.Ha Long Bay is one of Vietnam's top tourist destinations, famous for its blue-green waters and rainforest-covered limestone islands. Millions of people visit the area each year.Last year, 30 boats sank at docking areas in Quang Ninh province, where Ha Long Bay is located, after Typhoon Yagi brought high winds and waves.Earlier this month, a ferry sank off Bali in Indonesia, killing at least 18 people.Inputs from agencies
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