Quang Ninh (VNA) – All 37 tourists, including 36 foreigners, were brought to shore safely after they jumped off a burning ship in Ha Long Bay – a well-known destination in the northern province of Quang Ninh, on May 6.
The cruise ship, coded QN 6299, caught fire when it had just arrived back at Tuan Chau port after touring Ha Long Bay.
In spite of efforts by firefighters, the ship, which was owned by VIT Tourism One-member Limited Company, was destroyed completely and sank on the spot.
Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Duc Long directed authorised forces to swiftly deal with the incident, support the tourists and crewmembers, and investigate to find out the reasons for the incident.
In recent times, the locality has intensified inspections over the quality of tourist boats, especially wooden boats, operating on Ha Long Bay – a UNESCO-recognised world natural heritage site.
However, several fire cases still occurred, requiring additional efforts of local authorities and better consciousness of tourist companies and ship owners.-VNA