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At least 15 Indian tourists were killed after a speedboat carrying 32 Indian passengers and four crew members capsized off Vietnam's Phu Quoc island on Saturday, July 11. Twenty-one people survived the accident, while authorities said all the bodies of those who died had been recovered.
According to Vietnamese authorities, the speedboat overturned around 400 metres off Hon May Rut Ngoai island while ferrying tourists back to An Thoi Port after an island-hopping trip. The vessel, operated by Ocean Pear Island Company, capsized at around 1 pm local time, throwing everyone onboard into the sea, Vietnamese newspaper VN Express reported.
Nearby tourist boats reportedly rushed to the scene after spotting the overturned vessel. A boat owner who joined the rescue operation told VN Express that his team reached the site within about five minutes, but many passengers were trapped inside the capsized boat. “Only a few people were brought out conscious,” the rescuer was quoted as saying, adding that sea conditions were rough despite the absence of rain.
The An Thoi Border Guard deployed two vessels along with 35 personnel for the rescue operation, which was carried out jointly with the navy, coast guard, and other emergency agencies. By Saturday afternoon, all 36 people who had been onboard had been brought ashore. Authorities said 21 survived, while 15 others — 13 men and two women — died.
Television footage from Vietnam showed rough seas and strong winds as rescue teams threw life buoys to people in the water and used jet skis to ferry survivors back to shore. Authorities have not officially confirmed the cause of the accident, though preliminary assessments suggested strong winds and high waves may have caused the speedboat to overturn. An investigation is underway.
The Indian Embassy in Vietnam said it was closely monitoring the situation and had established control rooms at the Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City and the Embassy in Hanoi to assist affected families.
The Consulate General’s control room can be reached at +84 36 281 7930, +84 91 552 3714, or +84 33 452 0414. The Embassy’s control room in Hanoi can be reached at +84 91 308 9165.
Later, the embassy released the names of the 32 Indian tourists believed to have been onboard the vessel, saying the list had been compiled based on information received from official sources while details regarding the casualties were still being verified.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the tragedy and said the Indian Embassy and Consulate in Vietnam were extending all possible assistance. He said officials were in close contact with the Vietnamese authorities. He also said the tourists were employees of a private mobile phone company who had travelled to Vietnam for an annual meeting.
Andhra Pradesh Minister Nara Lokesh also directed officials to coordinate with the Union government and the Indian Embassy after reports suggested some of the tourists were from Andhra Pradesh.
According to VN Express, the speedboat’s operator said the vessel was conducting a routine island-hopping tour and that its captain, who is in his 50s, had several years of experience operating passenger boats.
Phu Quoc in the Gulf of Thailand is one of Vietnam’s most popular beach destinations. Hon May Rut island is about 10 kilometers (6 miles) south of Phu Quoc. They’re known for their white-sand beaches and clear waters and draw millions of domestic and foreign tourists each year.
The accident comes nearly a year after another major boating tragedy in Vietnam. In July 2025, a tourist boat carrying 48 people capsized during a sudden storm in Ha Long Bay, killing at least 35 passengers.
With inputs from AP.
