Fifteen people, including a three-year-old boy, were missing feared drowned in Vietnam after their boat sank during the child's birthday party, police said Saturday.
About 100 police and soldiers, including divers, have been mobilised on the Saigon River to recover the victims, said Trieu Van Giau, head of the local water police.
“We have not found any bodies yet and we are stepping up our efforts to search for them,” he said.
The accident happened Friday evening in Binh Duong province adjacent to the southern metropolis of Ho Chi Minh City, the former Saigon.
A total of 26 people were on board to celebrate the boy's birthday, Giau said.
After examining the passenger list he said four of the 15 were believed to be of Chinese origin.
According to initial police information the two-level wooden boat, used for day tours and evening dinner-party cruises, sank very quickly during high winds and heavy rain.
Eleven survivors were able to swim to safety, he said.
Vietnam's maritime safety has been under scrutiny since 11
foreign tourists and their guide died in February when a boat sank in Halong Bay, a key tourist attraction in northern Vietnam. -
Sapa-AFP