Hanoi, Jul 12: The bodies of the 15 Indian tourists who were killed in a boat accident off Vietnam’s Phu Quoc Island have been sent to Ho Chi Minh City from where they will be transported to India, the Indian mission said on Sunday.
The Indian Embassy in Hanoi also said that 16 of the 17 rescued Indian tourists are on their way back home. One, who is in critical condition, is hospitalised in Phu Quoc.
The 15 were killed when a speedboat carrying 32 tourists from India and four local crew members capsized near Hon May Rut Ngoai off Phu Quoc Island on Saturday. All others were rescued.
“The mortal remains of the 15 Indian nationals who tragically passed away in yesterday’s boat accident are being transported to Ho Chi Minh City and will reach there by this evening,” the embassy said in a post on X.
“After completion of formalities at Ho Chi Minh the mortal remains would be transported to India at the earliest,” it said.
The embassy further said its teams were closely coordinating with the Vietnamese authorities, who have assured all assistance for the earliest transportation of the mortal remains to India.
Of the 15 victims, 10 were from Tamil Nadu, three from Andhra Pradesh and two were from Kerala. Two of the deceased were women, according to a list shared by the embassy.
According to the list, the deceased from Tamil Nadu were identified as Senthil Kumar Jayavel, Muruga Prabhu Arumugam, Sridhar Sundararajan, Shaik Abdullah Abdul Majeed, Balaji Natesan, Vinaya Kumar Chithirapuram Bhaskara, Ravisankar Sugumaran, Santosh Kumar Shantilaljain, Babu Kuppuswamy and Alagurajan Sivasamy.
The deceased from Andhra Pradesh were identified as Nallapeta Adiseshaiah Raviteja, Sreedhar Mudiam and Jaya Lakshmi Gelli, while those from Kerala were identified as Avicot Cheriyan Thomas and Loveni Thomas.
The governments in the three southern states have issued helpline numbers to assist relatives of the affected persons.
Earlier on Sunday, the embassy said 16 of the 17 surviving tourists were discharged from the hospital and were on their way to India.
“After obtaining medical treatment, 15 survivors of yesterday’s tragic boat accident have been discharged from hospital and are travelling back to India,” the embassy said in a separate post on X.
“Of the two patients in critical care, one has been discharged and is travelling back to India. The other is undergoing treatment at a hospital in Phu Quoc,” it said.
It added that teams from the embassy and consulate are at Phu Quoc for any assistance.
Phu Quoc, Vietnam’s largest island, is a major tourist destination, known for its white-sand beaches, coral reefs and island-hopping excursions.
In this case, the tourists were reportedly returning from an island visit. The speedboat capsized about 400 metres off Hon May Rut Ngoai, an island in the An Thoi archipelago off the coast of Phu Quoc.
The exact cause of the incident is yet to be ascertained.
Vietnamese Prime Minister Le Minh Hung has ordered an investigation into the cause of the accident and directed authorities to hold those responsible accountable, local media reported. (PTI)
