Five Taiwanese tourists have been confirmed dead in a collision on Wednesday between a tender and a tourist boat in Ha Long, a bay in the northern province of Quang Ninh.
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The tender with the five victims on board capsized after colliding with the Dong Phong 2 tourist boat as the former was carrying 18 Taiwanese tourists back from Sung Sot Cave in the afternoon, said Nguyen Van Doc, Chairman of the Quang Ninh People's Committee
The victims have been identified as follows:
Huang Shujin Chi, 9, girl Huang Feng Chi, 58, woman Kung Fang Ju, 35, woman Li Hui Chen, 36, woman
Chen Yhi Chiu, 69, man
Their bodies have been sent to Bai Chay, a local hospital for necessary formalities.
All the survivors were immediately taken to Cai Lan Hospital after being rescued.
Past incidents
On May 8, 2011, a tour boat numbered QN 2070 with 28 French nationals, one Vietnamese tour guide and 12 sailors aboard sank in Ha Long Bay.
The boat began to sink at around 3:15 pm at a berth situated at Sung Sot Cave, 300 meters away from Ti Top Island, where 12 tourists from 9 nations had died around three months earlier when their tour boat was wrecked.
It cracked after being hit by another. After the incident, many ships nearby immediately came to their rescue.
On February 17, 2011, 12 tourists from 9 nations died after a tourist boat overturned in the same picturesque bay.
There were 26 people aboard the ship at the time, including one captain, four crew members, one tour guide, and 20 foreign tourists.
Local police said the accident was caused by a crack in a wooden board in the engine room, letting sea water in, causing the boat to capsize.
Colonel Vu Chi Thuc, director of the Quang Ninh police said 27-year-old Do Van Thang, a crew member in charge of the engine, forgot to close the valves that allowed water in to cool the machinery on both sides of the boat.