Mortal remains of 3 Andhra tourists killed in Vietnam boat capsize handed over to families in Hyderabad

HYDERABAD: The mortal remains of three people from Andhra Pradesh, who died after the boat they were travelling in capsized in Vietnam on July 11, arrived at the Rajiv Gandhi International (RGI) Airport in Hyderabad on Tuesday and were handed over to their family members.

The bodies of the deceased identified as Sridhar from Kadapa, Jayashri from Machilipatnam, and Raviteja from Hindupur were among the 15 people from India who were killed in the boat capsize incident, officials confirmed.

#WATCH | Mortal remains of three people from Andhra Pradesh, who died in the Vietnam boat capsize, arrive at RGI Airport and are handed over to their family members by officials.

(Source: PRO, Kondapalli Srinivas, Andhra Pradesh Minister) pic.twitter.com/wrW12cP7bM

— ANI (@ANI) July 14, 2026

State Minister Kondapalli Srinivas described the incident as deeply tragic. “The accident involving a tourist boat in Vietnam is deeply tragic. Many Indians had gone there to visit with their families… it is truly a heart-wrenching incident. We have lost 15 to 16 people, three of whom were from Andhra Pradesh. We are currently at Hyderabad Airport. We have come to offer our condolences to the families who have arrived here to receive the mortal remains of their loved ones. The government has made every possible effort to coordinate with the Vietnam government to ship the mortal remains to India via Mumbai… this is a massive loss for the families… our Chief Minister and the Andhra Pradesh government are always ready to provide assistance,” the minister said.

#WATCH | Hyderabad | On Vietnam boat capsize incident, Andhra Pradesh Minister Kondapalli Srinivas says, “The accident involving a tourist boat in Vietnam is deeply tragic. Many Indians had gone there to visit with their families… it is truly a heart-wrenching incident. We have… pic.twitter.com/Je8PhSyrrm

— ANI (@ANI) July 14, 2026

Janardhama Raj, a representative of the Andhra Pradesh government, was present at the airport along with official J L Murthy to receive the remains. He informed that the bodies reached Mumbai earlier this morning before being flown to Hyderabad.

“The AP State Government has nominated two persons to receive mortal remains of three people from the AP at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Hyderabad… Apart from me, another person is JL Murthy at Shamshabad. We are here to receive mortal remains of three people coming from… coming from Vietnam. Out of 15 Indian bodies, only 3 are from the AP. It is reaching Mumbai at 9:35. They belonged to Kadapa, Machilipatnam, and Anantapur district. We will receive the bodies at Shamshabad airport, and we will hand over to concerned officers nominated by the district collectors of Kadapa, Machilipatnam, and Anantapur, Sri Sathya Sai district,” Janardhama Raj said.

Family members and relatives of the deceased also gathered at the airport to collect the remains. Swarup, a relative of Jayashri, one of the victims from Machilipatnam, expressed appreciation for the administrative support provided during the repatriation process.

“We have come here to collect her body. She was not working with LAVA. She had gone with her friend. The Andhra Pradesh government is supporting us with the transportation of her body”, he said. “We have come here to collect her body… Both governments are supporting well, and these people (airport authority) are also coordinating well”, Swarup said.

#WATCH | Hyderabad, Telangana | Ashwin Raj, a relative of Raviteja, a resident of Andhra Pradesh, who lost his life in a boat capsizing incident in Vietnam, says, “… We were watching the news, and we got suspicious… Then we called the helpline number… The state police… https://t.co/yZcM9ASr87 pic.twitter.com/LYfXW6mRtV

— ANI (@ANI) July 14, 2026

Ashwin Raj, a relative of the deceased Raviteja from Hindupur, Andhra Pradesh, said, “We were watching the news and grew suspicious… then we called the helpline number… the state police contacted us and gathered details… they mentioned they had videos showing CPR being performed on Raviteja… the government informed us about the incident even before the news broke; they visited our home and collected all the necessary information,” the relative said.

The family further added that the administration had assured them of full support in transporting the remains to their doorstep. “The deceased, Raviteja, worked with LAVA for ten years. He had gone tour. We came to know about his death. We didn’t have to do anything; the government assured us they would transport the body to our home and that we wouldn’t need to take any action, yet we still came here,” he added.

#WATCH | Sri Sathya Sai, Andhra Pradesh | Visuals from the residence of Ravi Teja in Hindupuram, who died in the Vietnam boat capsize incident.

His mortal remains reached Hyderabad Airport earlier today and are en route to his native place. pic.twitter.com/edKcHWnp4j

— ANI (@ANI) July 14, 2026

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.

According to Vietnamese authorities, the vessel, operated by Ocean Pearl Island Company, was ferrying tourists from Hon May Rut Islet to An Thoi Port, around 25 kilometres from Phu Quoc Airport, when it encountered rough weather and overturned, throwing everyone on board into the sea.

Nearby tourist boats rushed to the accident site within minutes, and rescue teams subsequently brought all passengers ashore. Of the 36 people on board, 21 survived while 15 tourists lost their lives. Ten of the victims were from Tamil Nadu, three from Andhra Pradesh and two from Keralam. One person is being treated at a hospital in Ho Chin Minh city of Vietnam. (ANI)