Bodies of Vietnam Boat Tragedy Victims Arrive in Mumbai

Mumbai: The bodies of those killed in the Vietnam boat tragedy arrived in Mumbai on Monday night aboard a Vietnam Airlines flight. The mortal remains, which landed at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, will be transported to their home states in coordination with the respective state governments for the final rites. The bodies are being dispatched to various domestic destinations including Chennai, Hyderabad, Thiruvananthapuram and Coimbatore, where grieving family members await their return.

The Indian Embassy had earlier announced that the bodies of 15 Indian nationals departed Ho Chi Minh City on July 13 on a Vietnam Airlines flight. The embassy said it has informed the respective state governments and coordinated with them to facilitate onward transportation of the remains to their final destinations.

The embassy and the Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City expressed gratitude to the authorities of the Phu Quoc Special Economic Zone, An Giang Province, the foreign affairs department of Ho Chi Minh City, the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and other agencies for all the assistance extended following the tragedy.

The disaster occurred on July 11 when a tourist speedboat carrying 32 Indian tourists and four Vietnamese crew members — 36 in all — capsized near Hon Me Route Ngoi Island, close to Phu Quoc island in Vietnam. According to Vietnamese authorities, the boat, operated by Ocean Pearl Island Company, overturned in bad weather while ferrying tourists from Hon Me Route island to An Thoi port, 25 km from Phu Quoc airport. All those on board were thrown into the sea.

Other tourist boats in the vicinity rushed to the scene within minutes, and rescuers brought all passengers ashore. Of the 36 people on board, 21 survived while 15 tourists lost their lives. Among the deceased, ten were from Tamil Nadu, three from Andhra Pradesh and two from Kerala.

The embassy also shared an update on the sole Indian passenger who had been critically injured and receiving treatment — he was successfully operated upon and subsequently transferred from Phu Quoc to a hospital in Ho Chi Minh City for further care.