A 19-year old British man was found hanged on a tourist boat in the northern Vietnamese city of Hai Phong on Sunday night.

Leaders of the local People’s Committee confirmed the tourist’s death on Monday night, saying the 19-year-old had hung himself on a Cong Nghia tourist boat during a trip around the Cat Ba archipelago, located in Cat Hai District, Hai Phong.

Preliminary information revealed that the ship had departed from the northern province of Quang Ninh, and was carrying 16 foreign tourists including a group of three close friends from the United Kingdom.

The boat was sailing off the Cat Ba Islands when the man’s body was found hanging from a piece of silk fabric at the deck.

The incident was reported to the Cat Hai border guards, who arrived shortly after to take the man to hospital.

However, doctors reported that he had passed away before the rescue effort.

According to his two travel companions, their friend had suffered from epilepsy and was having some emotional problems prior to his death.

Le Hong Thang, director of the Quang Ninh Inland Waterway Port Authority, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that the Cong Nghia boat carrying the foreign tourists, with serial number QN 2040, had been sailing without a license since January 1, 2017 after failing to update the necessary paperwork.

Due to the lack of a permit, the vessel had not been operating in areas managed by the Quang Ninh port authority, Thang continued.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!