Vietnam boat tragedy: families lose sole breadwinners in Vellore, Tiruvannamalai

While relatives and neighbors were consoling the grieving family of C. Vinaya Kumar (45), who was among those killed in the boat accident that occurred near Phu Quoc Island in Vietnam on Saturday, July 11, 2026, a gloom descended on Kannika Parameshwari Amman Koil Street of Vellore Corporation in Saidapet.

Vinaya Kumar, who runs a jewelery shop on Lang Bazar Road opposite the fort complex, was Lava Mobiles’ main distributor in the area. He went to Vietnam with his colleagues as part of an incentive trip organized by the mobile phone company.

“He (Vinaya Kumar) spoke to his wife and daughter on Saturday morning, July 11, and informed them that he would return the next morning (Sunday). We were not expecting this news at all,” said his father-in-law Prabhakaran. Hindu.

Vinaya Kumar had gone to Vietnam on the night of July 8. He was the sole breadwinner in the family and is survived by his wife, Jayathi, and their 13-year-old daughter. His family lives in Ireland with his younger brother.

His employer has been in contact with authorities and is coordinating efforts into the incident, family members said. The family is now waiting for his body to be repatriated from Vietnam. “We thank both the governments (Central and State) for making urgent efforts to bring back his body to us,” Mr. Prabhakaran said.

S. Ravisankar from Tiruvannamalai. | Photo Credit: Special editing

Among those killed in the accident was S. Ravisankar, 51, from neighboring Tiruvannamalai. He is survived by his wife and two children. Ravisankar had been living with his family, including his parents, on Annai Kattai Street near Arunachaleswarar Temple in Tiruvannamalai town for generations.

Mr Ravisankar was a distributor for Lava PNG Agency in the temple town and had traveled to Vietnam as part of a business trip hosted by the parent company. The son of a wholesale trader, Mr. Ravisankar was the sole breadwinner in the family. The family learned of the tragedy from the media before being officially notified by the Center on Saturday.