Survivors Blame Lack of Timely Medical Aid for Lost Lives
Hyderabad/Amaravati: Survivors of the tourist boat tragedy in Vietnam expressed anger over the lack of timely medical preparation and trained personnel at the scene of the crash that left many dead, saying they were forced to perform CPR in a desperate attempt to save other passengers who were pulled from the sea.
A total of 20 tourists from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, who survived the boat tragedy in Vietnam, arrived in Hyderabad in a flight late on Sunday after being repatriated from Vietnam.
A tourist speedboat carrying 32 Indian tourists, three crew members and one attendant capsized near Hon May Rut Ngoai off Phu Quoc Island while returning to Vietnam’s An Thoi Port on Saturday. Fifteen Indian tourists were killed and 21 were rescued; The two survivors were in critical condition.
Rajahmundry native Govinda, an employee of the mobile company that organized the trip, described the desperate moments on the island.
“There was no proper medical team on the island. We did the best we could with the little information we had. We performed CPR and tried to keep people alive, but most of them slipped away from our sight. Had trained doctors, oxygen support and even basic emergency facilities been available, some could have survived,” he told PTI Video.
According to him, there were 35 people on board and many were rescued from the sea, but there were no trained doctors on the island to perform CPR or provide emergency treatment.
He said that immediately after the ship overturned, the boat crew, jet ski operators and members of his own group rushed to save the passengers. But professional medical help came much later.
“Everyone tried to help. We managed to save some people, but official medical help arrived much later. We requested an air ambulance but were told it was not available. Ambulances arrived only after some time and the critically injured were later shifted elsewhere,” he added.
While 26 of the 29 Andhra Pradesh tourists who participated in the trip survived, 3 died.
Govind was traveling in the second boat when the accident occurred about 400 meters away.
“As we were getting ready to set off, the first boat had already left. We saw it tip over before suddenly capsizing. We heard people screaming for help and immediately ran towards them,” he said.
Citing survivors of the capsized boat, he said strong waves forced the captain to slow down and caused panic among passengers.
As the frightened passengers moved to one side, the boat became unstable, tilted further and eventually overturned.
“We ourselves tried to resuscitate those who stopped breathing. We saved one or two people, but many were in critical condition. If qualified medical personnel had been there, at least five or six more lives could have been saved,” he said.
For many, the tragedy was deeply personal.
Govind shared his experience of watching his long-time friends disappear. Among the three dead in Andhra Pradesh were Sudheer, a businessman he had known for a decade, and Jayalakshmi, wife of Gelle Kishore, a close friend of his for 20 years.
“Watching people you’ve known for years die in front of your eyes while feeling completely helpless is something I’ll never forget,” he said.
Harihar Srinivas, another survivor from West Godavari district, narrowly escaped the tragedy as he was waiting to board a separate boat nearby when the accident occurred.
The first unfortunate boat had only traveled 100 meters after leaving the island when strong water currents caused the boat to lean to one side and capsize.
Srinivas, who witnessed the incident from a distance of about 100 meters, said, “Everything happened within a few minutes. We could only watch in horror as the boat suddenly overturned.”
He noted that all passengers were given life jackets and rescue personnel responded immediately after the accident.
While Srinivas appreciated the swiftness of the rescue operation, he echoed other survivors’ concerns about the lack of emergency medical preparedness in the tourist area.
“The rescue operation was quick but better planning should have been done to handle medical emergencies. Timely medical intervention could have made a difference,” he added.
He explained that the tour was a company-organised trip comprising people from Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, who arrived in Vietnam on July 8.
Giving a status update on the victims in Andhra Pradesh, the official said that three bodies were sent back to the state, while another tourist in serious condition was transferred to a hospital in Ho Chi Minh City and was responding well to treatment.
Govind said that this was his first trip organized by the company and such an accident had not occurred in his previous tours.
