Vietnam boat owner had bad record

ASIA:Vietnam boat owner had bad record

Vietnam Boat Update

HANOI, Feb 20 AFP - A Vietnamese tour boat that sank, killing 12 tourists including an Australian, is owned by a company linked to another deadly accident two years ago, police say.

Twelve people, mostly foreign tourists, drowned before dawn on Thursday when their boat suddenly sank as they slept on Halong Bay in Quang Ninh province, one of the country's most popular tourist attractions.

Vu Tuan Hung, of the Quang Ninh water police, confirmed media reports that the boat owner, Truong Hai Co, was involved in another deadly accident in September 2009 when it operated under a different name.

In the previous incident a boat of the company's sank during heavy rain, killing three foreign tourists and a local guide, Thanh Nien newspaper reported this weekend.

At the time Thanh Nien said the boat, which was new, had breached several regulations, prompting authorities to pledge stricter enforcement of seaworthiness standards and registration rules.

Hung said officials planned to announce on Monday the results of their probe into the latest sinking to foreign ambassadors and families of the victims.

"Police investigators continue to find the reasons for the sinking of the boat, and the results of their probe are going to be announced at a meeting on Monday morning," he said.

Attempts to reach the company Truong Hai since Thursday's sinking have been unsuccessful, but Tuoi Tre newspaper reported that the boat had been in service since 2008.

The crew have been questioned but no one has been arrested.

Initial information from the sailors suggested that the boat, Dream Voyage, sank because of a break in the lower hull, police said.

It took on water so fast that sleeping passengers had almost no time to escape the torrent that filled their cabins.

Nine tourists and six crew survived.

The salvaged boat has been moved to an island and will be transferred to the mainland for further examination, Hung said.

Visitors from the US, Sweden, Russia, Britain, Japan, France and Switzerland died in the tragedy.

An Australian of Vietnamese origin and a tour guide from Vietnam were also among the victims, the official Vietnam News Agency said.

Authorities have pledged a safety crackdown and said they will prosecute anyone responsible.

Hung said the bodies of eight foreign victims were returned to diplomatic representatives and relatives on Saturday.

Two others would be handed over on Sunday, he said.

Halong Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage site known for its stunning limestone cliffs, about 160 kilometres east of Hanoi.

It attracted more than two million visitors last year.

AFP