In Vietnam’s deadliest tour boat accident in 25 years, a boat anchored overnight in Ha Long Bay, in the Gulf of Tonkin, sank on Feb. 17 around 5 a.m., killing 11 foreigners (from eight countries) and their Vietnamese tour guide. Nine tourists and six crew survived.
Reportedly, a crewman had neglected to close a valve on a pipe carrying water to cool the engine; the pipe ruptured, the boat filled with water and the hull ruptured. The Dream Voyage sank in about one minute. (Two people said they escaped only because they had left the key in their cabin door lock.) The captain and a crewmember were arrested.
The boat was owned by the Truong Hai Company, which operated a boat which sank in September 2009 during a storm, killing five. All boats licensed for Ha Long Bay trips now will have new safety checks in addition to an annual check.