Boat collision involving 42 foreign tourists due to barges blocking vision

"The steersman expected that the boat could get past the ferry, but when it got close, there was not enough time to evade it," said owner Nguyen Hoang Ho, adding that the steersman was cooperating with authorities to figure out the cause of the incident.

The collision, which occurred in Vinh Xuong Commune in An Giang Province’s Chau Doc City around a kilometer from the Cambodian border, resulted in two foreign tourists and a Vietnamese tour guide incurring injuries.

The vessel was carrying 42 foreign passengers on a tour package from Cambodia's Phnom Penh to An Giang's Chau Doc.

The vessel's steersman, 42-year-old Phan Thanh Duoc, collided with a ferry piloted by 49-year-old Vo Van Nhan.

A local guide, aged 36, had his right arm severed in the crash, while his two legs were broken. Two tourists from France and Germany, aged 57-67, incurred leg injuries. All three were taken to HCMC for surgery.

The local guide, being treated at the Cho Ray Hospital, could not have his arm reattached due to the severe damage. The two foreign tourists, being treated at FV Hospital, have undergone surgeries. Hang Chau said it would cover the costs of treatment for the tourists.

Hoang Thi Minh Dang, which manages tours on the Hang Chau Tourist Express Boat vessel, said the steersman possessed all the necessary certificates and requirements for the job, and had over 10 years of experience.

Nguyen Khanh Hiep, director of the An Giang Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said the department would instruct tourism management divisions to cooperate with authorities and tourism firms to ensure the safety of tourists, adding that there would be an evaluation of Hang Chau's operations, and potential violations would be dealt with.