A motorised canoe capsized, throwing more than 10 tourists into the river. Photo captured from video

CÀ MAU – All ten tourists on board a narrow motorised boat were rescued after the vessel capsized on a Cà Mau waterway about 11.30am on Friday, authorities have reported.

The group had hired a vỏ lãi – a type of narrow motorised boat common on Mekong waterways – to travel to the Mẹ Đông Hải shrine area at Hưng Thiện Pagoda in Hưng Hội Commune for sightseeing and to offer incense. While under way, the vessel struck a submerged tree stump, lost its balance and capsized, throwing all passengers into the water.

Local public order security forces, Hưng Hội Commune Police and nearby residents responded quickly and brought the entire group safely ashore.

A representative of the Hưng Hội Commune People's Committee said the waterway route from the main road to the Mẹ Đông Hải area is about five kilometres long. Life jackets were on board at the time, and most crew members held the relevant licences. The incident was determined to have been unintentional.

Hưng Thiện Pagoda – Mẹ Đông Hải has attracted thousands of visitors during this year's holiday period. The Hưng Hội Commune People's Committee is planning to expand and reinforce the embankment road so that visitors can travel to the site by car. Once the road is completed, ferry services on the route are expected to cease.

Following the incident, local authorities urged residents and tourists to observe waterway traffic safety regulations, particularly the wearing of life jackets when travelling on small, individual watercraft.

In a separate incident, rescue forces from the Fire Prevention, Firefighting and Rescue Police Division (PC07) of HCM City Police and Kim Long Commune Police recovered the body of a South Korean man who had gone missing at Đá Đen Lake on the morning of May 1. The body was found at noon on May 2, in the middle of the lake about 500 metres from shore. He was not wearing a life jacket.

After bringing the body ashore, authorities conducted an autopsy to determine the cause of death in accordance with regulations. The victim was identified as K.H.S, 65, a South Korean national and director of a company in Châu Đức Industrial Zone.

On the morning of May 1, K.H.S and a friend identified only by the surname T., a Vietnamese national, drove to Đá Đen Lake in Kim Long Commune to go stand-up paddleboarding. While on the lake, T. noticed that K.H.S had gone missing and reported the matter to police. Kim Long Commune Police and PC07 mobilised personnel and equipment and launched a search that lasted more than a day.

Đá Đen Lake covers about 250 hectares and borders Kim Long Commune, Ngã Giao Commune and Tân Thành Ward. At weekends, residents and tourists regularly visit to camp, fish and go stand-up paddleboarding. — VNS