Australian tourist committed suicide in Ha Long Bay: Vietnam police

By Minh Cuong February 7, 2017 | 05:43 am PT

The place in Ha Long Bay where the body of the Australian tourist was found on February 6, 2017. Photo by VnExpress/Tran Huyen

Local police concluded that the tourist tied himself to a dumbbell and jumped to his death.

Australian tourist found dead in Ha Long Bay

An Australian who was found dead in Vietnam’s Ha Long Bay on Monday had committed suicide, police in Quang Ninh Province said on Tuesday.

54-year-old Stephen John Scott reportedly jumped off an anchored cruiser at 9 a.m. after his fellow travelers had left to visit a nearby island.

An investigation found that at 8 a.m., Scott and British tourist Janet Kennerley stayed on the boat when the other 14 guests left to visit the 'Amazing Cave'.

At about 8:30 a.m., Kennerley and the other six crew members on the boat heard a loud splash.

At 1 p.m., the Australian was found dead near an island in the bay.

Authorities said that Scott's legs had been tied to a heavy dumbbell, and concluded he had committed suicide.

The crew members confirmed both the dumbbell and the rope were from the boat.

The dumbbell and the rope that the Australian tourist used to commit suicide in Ha Long Bay on February 6, 2017. Photo by VnExpress/Minh Cuong

The dumbbell and the rope that the Australian tourist used to commit suicide in Ha Long Bay. Photo by VnExpress/Minh Cuong

Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO heritage site, is a popular destination for foreign visitors in Vietnam. Around 3.5 million foreigners visited the bay last year.