At least 34 people have died and eight others are still missing after a tourist boat capsized during stormy weather in Vietnam.
The tragedy unfolded in Ha Long Bay – a popular tourist destination in the north of the country – at around 2pm local time.
The majority of the passengers were reportedly Vietnamese families, including around 20 children, visiting from the capital Hanoi.
The boat, named Wonder Seas, was carrying 53 people – 48 tourists and five crew members – when it sank during a sudden thunderstorm, Vietnamese authorities have said.
Rescuers have so far rescued 11 people and recovered 27 bodies, eight of them children, according to local news site VNExpress.
It is believed the boat overturned due to strong winds – with heavy rainfall and lightning also reported in the area on Saturday.
A 14-year-old boy was among the survivors, and he was rescued four hours after being trapped in the overturned hull.
There has so far been no official announcement on the nationality of the tourists as emergency crews continue to look for survivors.
Tran Trong Hung, a resident in the Ha Long Bay said: ‘The sky turned dark at around 2 pm.’
There were ‘hailstones as big as toes with torrential rain, thunderstorm and lightning’, he said.
Police, Navy, border guards and port authorities are still scouring the waters, with 27 boats and two rescue crafts reportedly attending the scene.
Teams of divers have also been searching both inside the capsized ship’s cabin and the surrounding area in search of the missing victims.
According to VnExpress, the boat had been sailing through Ha Long Bay at 12.55pm, before being struck by the storm at around 1.30pm.
By 2.05pm, the vessel had lost its GPS signal, the local newspaper added, citing the Quang Ninh Provincial People’s Committee.
Ha Long Bay, which is about 125 miles northeast of Hanoi, attracts tens of thousands of visitors every year. Boat tours are hugely popular.
Last year, 30 vessels sank at boat lock areas in coastal Quang Ninh province along Ha Long Bay after Typhoon Yagi brought strong wind and waves.
Earlier this month, a ferry sank off the popular Indonesian resort island of Bali, killing at least 18 people.
Today’s weather came as Storm Wipha, the third typhoon to hit the South China Sea this year, is projected to make landfall along Vietnam’s northern coast next week.
Weather linked to the storm also disrupted air travel.
Noi Bai Airport said nine arriving flights were diverted to other airports, and three departing flights were temporarily grounded on Saturday.
Torrential rain also lashed northern Hanoi, Thai Nguyen and Bac Ninh provinces on Saturday.
In the capital Hanoi, several trees were knocked down by strong winds.
The storm followed three days of intense heat, with the mercury hitting 37 degrees Celsius in some areas.