At least 27 people have died after a tourist boat capsized in stormy weather in Vietnam’s Halong Bay.
A major search operation is underway at the popular tourist destination after the cruise boat carrying 53 people, 48 tourists and five crew members, tipped over at around 2pm local time.
Strong winds, heavy rainfall and lightning were reported in the area as Storm Wipha approached the country across the South China Sea.
Most of the tourists, which included families with children, were from the capital, Hanoi, local newspaper VnExpress reported.
There was no official announcement on the nationality of the tourists as emergency crews kept looking for survivors.
Rescue teams had rescued 11 survivors and recovered 27 bodies, eight of them children, as of 8:30pm today, the state-run Vietnam News Agency said, citing local authorities.
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.
Relief personnel gathered around a capsized tourist boat, which had been carrying 53 passengers when it capsized – of these at least 27 are believed to have died
Rescuers work at the capsizing site of a cruise ship in Ha Long Bay, northern Vietnam’s Quang Ninh province
A man stands on a tourist boat that capsized in Ha Long Bay
According to VnExpress, the boat had been sailing through Ha Long Ba 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.
Halong Bay, about 200 km (125 miles) northeast of Hanoi, attracts tens of thousands of visitors every year. Boat tours are hugely popular.
Storm Wipha, the third typhoon to hit the South China Sea this year, is projected to make landfall along Vietnam’s northern coast early 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.
Halong Bay (pictured), about 125 miles northeast of Hanoi, attracts tens of thousands of visitors every year. Boat tours are hugely popular