Da Nang presses charges against cruise company after fatal capsize

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Colonel Tran Muu, captain of the investigation team in Da Nang, said the city’s police is determined to identify the culprits of the overturned cruise incident that killed three people, including two children on June 4.

“In addition to the responsibilities of the ship-owner and the driver, we will consider other related individuals and organizations and take drastic measures to get to the bottom of this,” said Muu.

Tomorrow, the police will form an investigation team. Ship-owner Vo Quoc Hung and captain Le Cong Chi of the capsized cruise will be handed to Da Nang police after giving their testimonies.

On June 4, a cruise ship called Thao Van, license plate DNa 0016, was carrying 55 people (including two crew members) as it departed from the Han River Port. After about 10 minutes, the ship suddenly tilted and capsized. Two cruise ships and a nearby canoe quickly came to a rescue, saving more than 40 people.

Da Nang authority ordered all cruise ships on Han River to halt operations for license and safety checks. Photo by VnExpress/Nguyen Dong

Preliminary investigation show that the boat overturned because of overload. The ship had only 28 seats but was carrying 56 people in total, according to Da Nang authority.

Thao Van was modified from a fishing vessel into a cruise ship and is the smallest one operating on the Han River. The ship sank once in 2014 with no casualties.

Da Nang is one of Vietnam's top tourist destinations for foreigners and locals.