Vietnam boat capsize: Holiday updates for kin back home turn into news of death
A boat carrying Indian tourists capsized off Phu Quoc Island in Vietnam, resulting in multiple fatalities. Families across India are mourning the loss of loved ones who were on a sponsored group tour.
Why it matters
This tragic event highlights the risks associated with international group tourism and the challenges of emergency repatriation.
HYDERABAD/CHENNAI/THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: From Tamil Nadu to Andhra Pradesh and Kerala, phones that carried holiday updates rang with news no family was prepared to hear, turning a sponsored Vietnam getaway into a journey remembered only for lives cut short and homes left waiting.Among the victims were AC Thomas (58) and wife Lovely Thomas (56), from Kottarakkara in Kerala's Kollam district.They had left on July 7 on a weeklong tour organised by a private medical company. The couple remained in touch until Friday before they were first reported missing after a boat carrying 32 Indian tourists capsized off Phu Quoc Island Saturday afternoon."They travelled to Vietnam on a weeklong package tour. We first came to know about the accident through news reports. Later, the tour coordinator informed us that both of them died and their bodies were recovered during rescue operations.
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