Fifteen Indian tourists died on Saturday when a speedboat capsized in rough seas off Phu Quoc, Vietnam’s largest island. The vessel was ferrying the group back from Hon May Rut Ngoai, a small islet known for its coral reefs, to An Thoi port when it overturned approximately 400 metres from shore, according to Vietnamese state media and provincial officials.

The boat was carrying 32 Indian nationals and four crew members, local authorities said. All 15 bodies were recovered, and the injured were transported to hospitals. Rescue figures varied in the hours after the accident: some official sources cited 18 survivors, while others put the number at 21. The Indian Embassy in Hanoi confirmed the incident, established emergency helplines in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, and said it was working with local agencies to ascertain further details.

Eyewitnesses told the VN Express news site that nearby tourist boats rushed to the scene and began pulling passengers from the water before border guards, the navy and coast guard arrived. Rescue efforts were complicated by the fact that many passengers were trapped inside the overturned hull, operators said. Provincial authorities noted that the sea off An Thoi was rough at the time, with heavy winds and high waves, though no rain was reported and other tourist boats were still operating in the area.

The cause of the accident has not been officially determined. A provincial Communist Party official told state media that initial assessments pointed to adverse weather conditions, but a formal investigation is under way. Phu Quoc, in the Gulf of Thailand, has seen a sharp rise in foreign visitors in recent years, with Indian tourists forming a growing segment of arrivals to the island’s white-sand beaches and accessible dive sites.