Chennai
oi-Prakash KL
A survivor from the recent boat tragedy in Vietnam has given a chilling account of what happened on the fateful day.
Palani-based Nirmal Kumar was one among the 32 Indians who were on the speedboat that capsized near Hon May Rut Ngoai off Phu Quoc Island on 11 July. The incident took 32 lives.
A speedboat carrying 32 Indians capsized near Vietnam’s Phu Quoc Island on 11 July, resulting in 32 deaths, according to survivor Nirmal Kumar. Ten victims were from Tamil Nadu, and a co-passenger indicated that readily available medicines might have saved additional lives.
Speaking to PTI, Nirmal Kumar said, the incident occurred on the last leg of their trip as they travelled from one island to another. “Within three minutes of boarding and barely crossing 300 meters, the boat went upside down,” Kumar said. “A massive, extremely rough wave hit the boat, causing it to tilt slightly. Suddenly, the passengers on the left side fell toward the right, shifting the entire weight and flipping the boat completely upside down,” the news agency quoted him as saying.
He noted that the driver and guide were first to jump into the sea. The boat was carrying 36 people and 20 people followed them but 15 remained trapped as it was a closed boat. They could not make out as the boat pinned them down.
VIDEO | Nirmal Kumar, one of the survivors of the Vietnam boat capsize reaches Chennai, speaks on the incident.
He says, “We started on 8th, we went for boat riding on 11th. When we were going to the lunch from one island to next island. We were 32 on the speed boat, which was… pic.twitter.com/U6X4ETo6vk
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) July 13, 2026
The rescue team arrived at the spot 10 minutes later and pulled out the people who were floating outside. They took 20-30 minutes to pull the trapped people out.
Though Nirmal survived, his friend Muruga Prabhu was killed in the tragedy. “I only left Vietnam after ensuring his body was recovered and the necessary procedures were completed,” he added.
Nirmal, citing the comments of co-passenger and a doctor, stated that the lives of four to five people would have been saved if the medicines were readily available.
Chennai, Tamil Nadu: Nirmal Kumar from Palani, who survived a boat capsizing accident in Vietnam, arrived at Chennai Airport via Colombo. He was welcomed and consoled by his friends at the airport before leaving for Palani by car. pic.twitter.com/1dGhHfhPui
— IANS (@ians_india) July 13, 2026
He said, “Our co-passenger doctor mentioned that if certain medicines had been readily available at the spot, four to five more lives could have been saved. We are explaining this to the Vietnam government,” Kumar stated.
Out of 15, 10 people who lost lives were from Tamil Nadu. “Four from Chennai, three from Tiruchirapalli and one each from Salem, Erode, and Tiruppur,” he added.
A businessman identified as CB Vinay Kumar from Vellore had travelled to Vietnam to attend a distributors’ conference. His father-in-law has thanked the governments for its quick response
“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,” ANI quoted him as saying.
He also made a special mention for Vellore MLA Vinoth, who has been supporting the family throughout the crisis.
The mortal remains of the victims will be flown to Chennai and Coimbatore from Mumbai today.
