HANOI — The remains of 15 Indian tourists killed when a speedboat capsized off southern Vietnam last weekend were repatriated Monday, authorities confirmed.
The vessel, carrying 32 Indian tourists and four Vietnamese crew members, overturned Saturday afternoon shortly after departing Hon May Rut Ngoai island near Phu Quoc, Vietnam’s largest island. The boat’s captain, 57-year-old Nguyen Hong Hai, is under investigation for alleged violations of waterway transport safety regulations, state media reported.
A flight transporting the victims’ remains from Ho Chi Minh City was scheduled to arrive in Mumbai late Monday, the Indian Embassy in Hanoi announced on social media. The embassy said it had coordinated with the victims’ home states to arrange onward travel. Ten of the deceased were from Tamil Nadu, three from Andhra Pradesh, and two from Kerala.
The group was on a corporate retreat organized by Lava International, a smartphone and consumer electronics manufacturer, for its employees, distributors, and retail partners, the company said. The embassy previously confirmed that 16 survivors had been discharged from hospital and returned to India, while one person remains in critical condition at a Vietnamese medical facility.
Hon May Rut island lies approximately 10 kilometers (6 miles) south of Phu Quoc, one of Vietnam’s premier beach destinations. Both locations are renowned for white-sand beaches and clear waters, attracting millions of domestic and international visitors annually. India ranks among Vietnam’s fastest-growing tourism source markets.
