Halong Bay
\nThe death toll from a tourist boat accident in Vietnam\u2019s Halong Bay climbed to at least 38 with several people still missing, the government said, as rescuers continued to search for survivors while bracing for the approach of Typhoon Wipha.
\nThe vessel capsized on Saturday afternoon carrying 48 tourists and five crew members in one of the worst boating accidents in recent years in the popular tourist area.
\n\u201cAt least 38 of those on board have been confirmed dead and 10 rescued,\u201d the government said in a statement.
\nThe official Vietnam News Agency reported that all the tourists were Vietnamese, including several children.
\nDozens of rescuers, including border guards, navy personnel, police and professional divers, have been deployed. Although the sea had calmed, weather conditions limited visibility, making rescue operations difficult.
\nRescuers managed to retrieve the sunken boat, the government said.
\nThe accident took place around 2 p.m. local time (0700 GMT) on Saturday, soon after Typhoon Wipha entered the South China Sea.
\nAuthorities reported strong winds, heavy rainfall and lightning in the area at the time of the incident, adding that these conditions were not yet influenced by the approaching typhoon but were due to wind patterns over the northern region.
\nHalong Bay, about 200 km (125 miles) northeast of Hanoi, attracts tens of thousands of visitors every year. Boat tours are particularly popular.
\nIn 2011, the sinking of a tour boat in Halong Bay killed 12 people, including foreign tourists.
\nTyphoon Wipha, the third to hit the South China Sea this year, is projected to make landfall along Vietnam\u2019s northern coast early next week.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Halong Bay The death toll from a tourist boat accident in Vietnam\u2019s Halong Bay climbed to at least 38 with several people still missing, the government said, as rescuers continued to search for survivors while bracing for the approach of Typhoon Wipha. The vessel capsized on Saturday afternoon carrying 48 tourists and five crew members […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":491572,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-491553","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n