Days after the Vietnam boat capsize, survivors from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana returned to Hyderabad late Sunday. The tourist boat disaster, which occurred near Hon May Rut Ngoai off Phu Quoc Island on Saturday, has claimed the lives of 15 Indians.
The survivors have raised serious questions over the emergency response and the absence of trained medical personnel. They alleged that a lack of oxygen support and delays in critical care after the accident may have cost more lives.
Recounting the harrowing moments, an employee of Lava Mobiles said that the survivors themselves had to perform CPR on passengers pulled from the sea because trained medical personnel were unavailable.
"There was no proper medical team on the island. We did whatever we could with the little knowledge we had. We performed CPR...If there were any trained doctors, oxygen support and even basic emergency facilities, some of them could have been saved," Govinda, a Rajahmundry resident, told PTI.
Govinda was among the 35 people on board when the accident took place.
According to him, the first responders were the tourist boats nearby.
Ambulance boats came only after some time, and the critically injured were shifted only later.
The first boat had already left while we were preparing to start," Govinda recalled, noting he was travelling in a second boat about 400 metres away when the tragedy unfolded. "Suddenly, we saw it tilt before capsizing."
He recalled that strong waves forced the captain to slow down, triggering a panic among the passengers; as they crowded to one side of the ship, the vessel became unstable and capsized.
"We ourselves tried to revive those who had stopped breathing. We saved one or two people, but many were in a critical condition," he said.
Another survivor, Harihar Srinivas, from Andhra Pradesh, also raised concerns over the lack of emergency medical preparedness. "The rescue operation was quick, but there should have been better planning to handle medical emergencies," he said.
Srinivas said that the company-sponsored trip included employees from Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
