Vietnam Boat Tragedy: 8 of the 15 Dead Were From Tamil Nadu

A boat capsize near Phu Quoc Island in Vietnam has killed 15 Indian tourists. Eight of them are from Tamil Nadu, Thanthi TV reported.

The tourists were part of a larger group of mobile phone traders from Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana. Lava Mobiles had offered them an incentive trip organized to recognize their sales achievements, according to a report in DTNext.

The incident occurred near Phu Quoc Island when the speedboat, carrying 32 Indian tourists and four Vietnamese crew members, overturned in rough weather while returning to An Thoi Port.

Preliminary reports suggest strong winds were a factor. Of the 36 people on board, 21 were rescued-17 passengers and the four crew members. Two survivors remain in a critical condition.

Also, two people from Andhra Pradesh have died in the tragedy, PTI reported citing government sources. They have been identified as Jalalakshmi and Jayashree. Three others from Andhra Pradesh were pulled from the water and are currently receiving medical care.

Lava Mobiles, the company associated with the tour group, expressed grief over the tragedy and confirmed that some of the people on the boat involved its partners and team members.

A statement from the company read: "We are in constant touch with the Embassy of India in Vietnam and the local authorities to gather information about the safety and well-being of our people. Our immediate priority is to extend all possible support to those affected and their families. Our teams in both India and Vietnam are in regular contact with the families and are providing all possible assistance."

We are deeply saddened to learn about the tragic boat incident that took place in Vietnam today. The incident involves some of our channel partners and team members.

We are in constant touch with the Embassy of India in Vietnam and the local authorities to gather information…

— Lava Mobiles (@LavaMobile) July 11, 2026

Names of 32 Indian tourists who were onboard the boat:

• Balasubramani Palanisamy
• Selvam Pitchiah
• Senthil Kumar Jayavel
• Sivakumar Muthukumarasamy
• Nirmal Kumar Sethuraman
• Muruga Prabhu Arumugam
• Ruban Selva Nathan Jacob Yesupatham
• Sridhar Nagalamadugu
• Vigneshvar Nallapeta Adiseshaiah
• Ramasubbu Dharmarajan
• Abuthalkha Radhakrishnan Gopal
• Sridhar Annavi
• Vamsheedar Zahirudeen
• Senjadaivel Sundarrajan
• Cellur Ramraj Kuppusamy
• Sohan Raviteja
• Shaik Abdullah Abdul Majeed
• Rajeev Kalaivanan
• Balaji Natesan
• Vinaya Kumar Chithapuram Bhaskara
• Ravisankar Sugumaran
• Vipul Uttam Chand
• Santosh Kumar Shantilal Jain
• Babu Kuppuswamy
• Alagurajan Sivasamy
• Vasantha Kumar Anandhan
• Sreedhar Mudiam
• Jaya Lakshmi Gelli
• Kishore Gelli
• Avicot Cheriyan Thomas Thomas
• Loveni Thomas
• Ramesh Kumar Pachiyappan

The boat was carrying 32 Indian tourists and four crew members. It overturned while returning to An Thoi Port. Strong winds are believed to be the cause.

Two of the deceased are from Machilipatnam in Andhra Pradesh. They have been identified as Jalalakshmi and Jayashree. Three others from the state were injured and are in hospital.

In all, 21 people were rescued. This includes 17 passengers and four crew members. Two survivors are in critical condition. Everyone on board has been accounted for.

The tourists were mobile phone traders from Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. They were on a trip organised by a private company for their sales performance. Lava Mobiles has said some of its employees and partners were among those affected.

Rescue teams included the border guard, navy, coast guard and local boats. Life rafts and jet skis were used.

Authorities are investigating the accident. Rough seas and possible mechanical failure are being looked at. The Indian embassy is coordinating with Vietnamese officials.