Survivor recounts horror of Vietnam boat mishap as bodies arrive in Chennai; tributes paid to deceased

CHENNAI: The mortal remains of Indian tourists who lost their lives in the tragic boat capsize incident in Vietnam arrived at the Chennai International Airport on Tuesday and were handed over to their families amidst sombre tributes.

Nirmal Kumar, a survivor of the accident from Palani, also arrived at the airport and shared a harrowing firsthand account of the moments leading up to the tragedy on July 11.

“When we were going from one island to another, the boat was upside down. The 20 people who were sitting on the side tried to escape by jumping into the sea. Fifteen people who were stuck inside the boat were unable to come out because the boat was closed, so they couldn’t come out of the boat immediately”, Nirmal Kumar said.

#WATCH | Chennai, Tamil Nadu: Survivor Nirmal Kumar says, “When we were going from one island to another, the boat was upside down. The 20 people who were sitting on the side tried to escape by jumping into the sea. 15 people who were stuck inside the boat were unable to come out… https://t.co/AsJC3wCJDW pic.twitter.com/6Jh4zlC43u

— ANI (@ANI) July 14, 2026

The survivor noted that the delay in the arrival of the rescue teams made the situation even more critical for those trapped. “Before the rescue team came, it took 10 minutes. So the people who jumped have only survived the entire thing. The Indian government and the Vietnamese government have supported us in recovering the bodies, and they have given all the medical help and everything they have done”, he added.

Among the deceased was C B Vinay Kumar, a businessman from Vellore who had travelled to Vietnam to attend a distributors’ conference. His father-in-law, while receiving the remains, expressed deep gratitude for the swift response of the authorities.

“CB Vinay Kumar is my son-in-law. He’s a businessman… He had gone to Vietnam to attend a distributors’ conference… But before he could get to the island, this bad situation happened… I thank the Tamil Nadu government, the central government, and the Consulate of the Indian Government in Vietnam, Priyanka. She prioritised this situation, acted extraordinarily, gave us minute-to-minute information,” he said.

#WATCH | Chennai, Tamil Nadu | As bodies of two of the victims of the Vietnam boat capsize incident arrive in Chennai, the father in law of one of the victims says, “CB Vinay Kumar is my son-in-law. He’s a businessman… He had gone to Vietnam to attend a distributors… pic.twitter.com/c4D58kZGSk

— ANI (@ANI) July 14, 2026

He also lauded the efforts of Vellore MLA Vinoth, who has been supporting the family throughout the crisis. “We cannot convey in words our sincerity towards the Velur MLA… He rendered all sorts of help to us… We will never forget such a humanitarian person. He was with us for the past two, three days, he acquainted us, called us many times, and replied as soon as I called him,” he added.

Vellore Assembly Constituency MLA Vinoth, along with cadres from the Tamizhaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), were also present at the airport to pay their respects. Visuals from the airport showed people laying floral wreaths and paying tribute as the bodies were handed over by the airlines to the relatives and state officials.

The mortal remains of the 15 Indian tourists who were killed when the speedboat they were travelling in capsized were flown back to Mumbai yesterday.

The tragedy struck on July 11 when a tourist speedboat carrying 36 people, including 32 Indian tourists and four Vietnamese crew members, capsized near Hon May Rut Ngoai Island off Vietnam’s Phu Quoc Island. The deceased individuals include 10 tourists from Tamil Nadu, three from Andhra Pradesh, and two from Keralam. (ANI)