Chinese youth ventures too far, drowns in Da Nang beach

By Ngoc Truong   October 1, 2018 | 05:05 am PT
Chinese youth ventures too far, drowns in Da Nang beach
Tourists bathe at a beach in the central city of Da Nang. Photo by VnExpress/nguyen Dong
A Chinese tourist drowned Sunday after venturing too far into My Khe Beach in the central city of Da Nang.

The Management Board of Son Tra Peninsula and Tourist Beaches in Da Nang on Monday identified the dead tourist as 27-year-old Li Guang Lei. 

Around 9:30 p.m. on Sunday, after drinking a few beers, Lei and a group of friends went deeper and deeper into dangerous waters at My Khe beach, three kilometers from the city center.

Unfortunately, he and one of his friends, 23-year-old Li Hai Tao, were washed away by the strong waves.

Rescue workers rushed to the scene and were able to save Tao, but not Lei.

Rescue forces and doctors rush to the scene to give first aid to the victims but one tourist dies from drowning. Photo by VnExpress/Ngoc Truong

Rescue forces and doctors rush to the scene to give first aid to the victims but one tourist dies from drowning. Photo by VnExpress/Ngoc Truong

According to the workers, the sea off Da Nang has been rough for several days due to bad weather and heavy rains, and they had put up warning signs to prevent people from bathing.  

“The Chinese tourists got drunk before swimming. They were bathing while lifeguards were off duty, because working hours during the monsoon season last only until 6.30 p.m. daily,” said a representative of the management board.

Drunk swimmers sometimes ignore the lifeguards’ warnings, he added.  

Local police are investigating the accident.  

Da Nang is one of the top destinations for Chinese visitors in Vietnam. In the first seven months of this year, the city received more than five million visitors, up 30 percent over the same period last year, according to the Da Nang tourism department. More than 1.8 million were foreign arrivals, up 54 percent.

Last year, a 34-year-old Russian man, Vladislav Sharolov, drowned after jumping into the rough sea in the resort town of Nha Trang in central Vietnam, ignoring lifeguards’ warnings.

 
 
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