Vellore (Tamil Nadu) [India], July 12 (ANI): MLA Vinoth Kannan of Vellore in Tamil Nadu on Sunday visited the family of a local resident who lost his life in a tragic boat capsize incident near Phu Quoc Island in Vietnam.
The victim, identified as Vinayakumar, a resident of Vellore, was among the Indian tourists who died after the boat they were travelling in overturned off the coast of the popular Vietnamese island destination.
During his visit to the victim’s residence, the MLA met with the bereaved family members to offer his heartfelt condolences and expressed deep grief over the sudden loss.
Earlier today, another survivor of the boat tragedy near Vietnam’s Phu Quoc Island recounted the horrifying moments when the vessel capsized within seconds due to “a sudden storm” and said that rescue teams responded swiftly but medical facilities on the nearby island should have been better and could have helped save lives.
A tourist speedboat carrying 36 people, including 32 Indian tourists, capsized off the coast of Vietnam’s Phu Quoc island. The Indian Embassy in Vietnam later confirmed that all 15 people killed in the accident were Indian tourists.
Speaking with ANI, Nirmal Kumar, one of the survivors of the accident, said the boat was carrying 32 passengers and was going from one island to another when it was struck by rough weather.
“When we were moving from one island to the next island, a sudden storm came…suddenly, within a second, the boat was going upside down. We were on the front side and came out by jumping into the sea. Those who were inside got trapped, and since the boat was upside down, they were unable to come outside the boat. We were thirty-two on the boat, but in total, we had one hundred and five people,” he said.
Confirming that assistance was extended by Indian authorities, he said, “Yesterday they came, and they are doing their process. Everyone went back…we’re four people from the company, and I am staying here.”
Kumar added that the local rescue force reacted promptly.
“They rescued us, but some medical equipment was not available on that island. A doctor was travelling with us. He said that medicines are not available here, so we cannot save the lives…more lives could have been saved. Requisite aid wasn’t available on the island for the number of people needing it. The Vietnam Air Force came after two to three hours, and they guided us, they treated us,” he said.
Authorities are continuing their investigation into the circumstances that led to the tragic accident. (ANI)
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