At least 15 Indian tourists were killed and 21 others rescued after a speedboat capsized in rough seas off Vietnam's Phu Quoc Island on Friday, authorities said.
The vessel, operated by Ocean Pear Island Company, was carrying 32 tourists and several crew members when it malfunctioned and overturned around 1 p.m. roughly 400 metres from the small island of Hon May Rut Ngoai in the Gulf of Thailand. The dead included 13 men and two women. The boat and its operator held all required permits, a local report said.
Search-and-rescue crews, including two vessels carrying 35 military personnel, were deployed to the scene. Rescue operations continued into the evening as authorities battled heavy winds and unusually large waves.