Vietnam boat tragedy: Mortal remains of 15 Indian nationals being carried from Ho Chi Minh City to Mumbai
Hanoi, July 13
The mortal remains of the 15 Indian nationals are being carried from Ho Chi Minh City to Mumbai by Vietnam Airlines flight and will arrive on Monday evening, the Indian Embassy in Hanoi informed.
In a post on X, the Indian Embassy noted that the remains have left for Mumbai via Vietnam Airlines flight VN 979 and will arrive at 2130 hours local time.
The State Governments of Andhra Pradesh, Keralam and Tamil Nadu will coordinate the transportation of mortal remains to their final destinations in the respective states.
The Indian Embassy in Hanoi and the Consulate General of India in Ho Chi Minh City conveyed gratitude to authorities of Phu Quoc Special Economic Zone, An Giang Province as well as Department of Foreign Affairs, Ho Chi Minh City, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and all other agencies for all the assistance provided following the tragic boat accident.
It thanked Vietnam for the prayers and messages of condolences in the hour of grief.
"We are grateful for the many messages of condolences and prayers from our Vietnamese friends. Your prayers, efforts and presence gave us strength in this extreme hour of grief."
Meanwhile, the Andhra Bhavan informed that detailed arrangements have been finalised for the transhipment of the mortal remains arriving from Vietnam, with the intervention of Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu and in consultation with the Embassy of India in Vietnam.
Earlier on Sunday night, several survivors from Andhra Pradesh who were caught in the tragic speedboat accident off the coast of Vietnam's Phu Quoc Island arrived at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) in Hyderabad.
At least 15 people, including Indian tourists, were killed after a speedboat carrying 36 people capsized near Vietnam's Phu Quoc Island on Saturday, according to Vietnamese newspaper VN Express.
The Embassy of India in Vietnam, in a list of the deceased, stated that 10 people from Tamil Nadu, three from Andhra Pradesh and two from Keralam died in the speedboat tragedy.
According to VN Express, citing authorities in the Phu Quoc Special Economic Zone, the speedboat, operated by Ocean Pear Island Company, was ferrying tourists from Hon May Rut Islet to An Thoi Port, around 25 kilometres from Phu Quoc Airport, when it overturned in the afternoon (local time), throwing all those on board into the sea.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Very tragic incident. The safety standards for these boat tours in many tourist destinations need serious improvement. Speedboats shouldn't be overcrowded and life vests must be mandatory. Our people went for a holiday and never returned. May their souls rest in peace.
This is truly sad. I hope the airlines and travel agencies in Vietnam face strict investigation for this negligence. At the same time, kudos to the Indian Embassy team in Hanoi and Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City for their quick response and making arrangements for repatriation. International travel mishaps are always more complicated. 🇮🇳🤝🇻🇳
As someone who travels frequently for work, this hits close to home. A speedboat accident in a foreign land is a nightmare. I appreciate that the Andhra Bhavan and our ministries worked together to expedite the process. But honestly, we need better travel advisories for Indian tourists going to such places. Detailed safety records of operators should be shared. Let's learn from this tragedy.
Extremely sad 😢 15 families shattered forever. Tamil Nadu lost 10 people in one go - that's devastating for the communities there. My heart goes out to the survivors who had to witness this horror and return alone. Vietnam has expressed condolences but they need to ensure such incidents don't happen again. Rest in peace, fellow Indians.
Visiting from Canada and this is heartbreaking. Our thoughts are with all the Indian families affected. It's good to see the Indian government working with Vietnam to bring back the remains quickly. Terrible loss of life, hope the investigation is thorough and the company responsible faces
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