Boat capsizes, 8 killed
30/04/2007 08:16  - (SA)  

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Hanoi - An overloaded fishing boat carrying tourists capsized in choppy waters off central Vietnam, killing eight people, including three children, on a national holiday jaunt, an official said on Monday.

The unregistered boat carrying 24 people couldn't stand strong waves and capsized on Sunday morning off Danang, 760km south of Hanoi, according to Ngo Quang Vinh, director of the city Tourism Department.

The accident happened 300m from the shore when the boat was en route to Lang Van Eco-tourism Site on a nearby island.

"The boat was overloaded and there were no lifebuoys aboard when the accident happened," said Vinh.

"The fishing boat was not designed to carry tourists and it shouldn't have carried more than 12 people," he said.

The victims, include three children ages between 3 and 9, were all Vietnamese tourists traveling over the long weekend for Monday's Liberation Day holiday, commemorating the communist victory in the Vietnam war.

The survivors were rescued by boats fishing nearby and Truong Ngu, the 71-year-old driver of the boat.

Police have launched an investigation, Vinh said.

- SAPA

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