VIJAYAWADA/HYDERABAD: Eyewitnesses of the boat disaster less than 500m off Hon May Rut Ngoai island in Vietnam that killed 15 Indian tourists blamed crew negligence and delays in rescue and emergency treatment, saying the speedboat overturned within seconds after being battered by rough seas and that faster medical care could have saved lives.All tourists were wearing life jackets, but some were not fastened properly, according to eyewitnesses. Many people drowned when trapped under the overturned boat despite wearing safety gear, said one of 24 tourists from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana who returned from Hanoi to Hyderabad on Sunday night.Golla Sai Naveen of Andhra Pradesh’s Prakasam district said, “Most passengers wore life jackets, but many got trapped beneath the overturned boat. Some were inside a cabin and had no way out.” He alleged rescue boats arrived nearly three hours later.The closed speedboat, carrying 32 Indian tourists and four crew members, capsized Saturday afternoon while returning from Phu Quoc island. The dead include 10 from Tamil Nadu, three from Andhra Pradesh and two from Kerala. Seventeen people were injured.Passengers travelling in other boats said the first of four vessels ferrying a 108-member business tour from south India lost balance after being hit by strong waves and gusty winds. Panic erupted when passengers rushed to one side, causing the boat to roll over.“The first boat began rocking violently because of strong waves,” Srinivasa Rao of Tadepalligudem in Andhra Pradesh’s West Godavari district said. He was travelling in the second boat. “We watched the whole tragedy unfold. Everyone shifted to one side and the boat overturned within seconds. It was entirely due to the driver’s negligence.”Eyewitnesses said they were barely 400m away when the boat capsized but could only watch helplessly.“I saw my friends dying in front of my eyes. But I couldn’t do anything,” said Mahipal Sanvi, a Lava phone distributor of Vijayawada and one of returnees. “Had our friends received medical assistance on time, at least half of them would be alive today.”Sanvi said people tried desperately to save those trapped beneath the overturned vessel. “Whatever we knew, we did… including CPR. We even tried to help them get out of the boat. But that was not enough.” Eyewitnesses also alleged critical delays after victims reached a govt hospital. “The rescued passengers were rushed to hospital, but there were no doctors for a long time,” Sanvi said. “Had CPR and emergency treatment been available immediately, more lives could possibly have been saved.“Siva Ganesh of Visakhapatnam said help remained scarce even after survivors were rescued. “Until we came back to the main island, which was about an hour away, there was hardly any help,” he said.Prasad from Warangal, who travelled with his wife and two sons, said the family remained traumatised. “My wife hasn’t eaten a morsel. My sons too are scared,” he said.Authorities have not responded to the allegations.Andhra Pradesh govt said Machilipatnam businessman Gelli Kishore remained critical. His wife Gelli Jaya Lakshmi was among those killed. Officials said Kishore developed complications while being shifted from Phu Quoc govt hospital, forcing doctors to defer his transfer. He remains unconscious in ICU after doctors detected a small blood clot in his brain. He will be airlifted to Ho Chi Minh City once his condition stabilises.
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