The boat carrying Indian tourists that capsized off an island in south Vietnam on Saturday (July 11, 2026) had barely travelled 300 m – 400 m from the shore when it suddenly overturned, an Indian national who witnessed the tragedy said.

Ashish Kumar, a 48-year-old distributor of a mobile phone company from Andhra Pradesh’s Guntur, said the tourists were divided into batches and ferried to the island as part of a company outing. “We had all gone there as sellers, distributors and employees of Lava Mobile. We reached Vietnam on July 9 and were supposed to return to India on Sunday morning,” Mr. Kumar told PTI over the phone.

He said one of the three boats carrying 32 Indian tourists had left the Hon May Rut Ngoai island for another island, while the remaining two groups were still on Hon May Rut Ngoai, taking photographs.

“The incident happened around 1.30 p.m. local time. The boat had gone barely 300 to 400 metres when it tipped over. We were taking pictures and it happened before we could react,” he said.

“The boat had hardly left the island. We were all screaming for help,” Mr. Kumar said, adding that the weather conditions were not adverse. “There was some wind but that is expected in an island,” he said.

No medical teams

He said rescue teams reached the spot soon after and brought the survivors and bodies back to the shore. However, “there were no medical teams even to administer CPR. We are all in a state of shock,” he said.

Mr. Kumar said while he was travelling alone, several members of the group had come with their families. “A distributor friend I know was travelling with his wife on the boat. His wife died, while he is fighting for his life in a hospital,” he said.

The group has since returned to its hotel, he added.

In a statement, Lava International said it is “deeply saddened” by the tragedy and confirmed that those involved included some of its channel partners and team members.

“We are in constant touch with the Embassy of India in Vietnam and the local authorities to gather information about the safety and well-being of our people. Our immediate priority is to extend all possible support to those affected and their families,” the company said.

It said its teams in both India and Vietnam are in regular contact with the families, providing all possible assistance.

Fifteen Indian tourists were killed in the incident, according to Vietnamese media reports. The speedboat also had four crew members on board when the accident occurred.

Grief engulfed the family of N. Balaji, 44, a resident of Thiruvanaikovil in Tiruchirappalli, who was among those killed in the boat accident near Phu Quoc Island in Vietnam on Saturday (July 11, 2026).

Balaji, a B. Com graduate and a manager at Sellmore Marketing Pvt. Ltd. in Ariyamangalam, had travelled to Vietnam along with his colleagues as part of an incentive trip organised by Lava Mobiles. “We were waiting for him to return home in two days. This news has shattered us,” his uncle Govindarajan told The Hindu.

Balaji had left for Vietnam on the night of July 8 and was scheduled to return in two days. He was the sole breadwinner of the family and is survived by his mother, wife, and two sons aged 13 and 10. Family members said his employer has been in touch with the authorities and is coordinating efforts related to the incident. The family is now awaiting the repatriation of his mortal remains from Vietnam.

Tiruchi resident Sheikh Abdullah Abdul Majeed, 56, was also among those who died in the accident. Abdul Majeed is survived by his wife and two children. He was a dealer of Lava Mobiles products in the city and had travelled to Vietnam as part of the business tour hosted by the parent company.

Family members who had gathered at his home in Tiruchirappalli on Saturday (July 11, 2026) said that they were waiting for further information from Indian government authorities in Vietnam.

S. Alagurajan, 38, a sales manager for Lava Mobiles overseeing Tiruchirappalli, Karur and Thanjavur districts, was among those who died in the Vietnam tragedy. He is a resident of Crawford and is survived by his wife and two sons. He had travelled to Vietnam on the company-sponsored trip after achieving a three-month sales target.

The family learnt about the tragedy only around 3 p.m. through members of the Tiruchi Mobile Sangam. “We have spoken to Minister Ramesh, who assured us that steps would be taken immediately to facilitate the return of the mortal remains,” said Ragunath, his colleague.