>> Captain and 4 crew arrested for Ha Long Bay accident
>> Tourist boat’s hull “suddenly broke”, killing 12 in Ha Long Bay
Northern Quang Ninh province has set up an inspection group to check the safety of tourist boats, starting February 19.
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| The sunken ship |
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| Being brought ashore |
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| All boats to be checked |
The group was formed in response to the recent shipwreck in Ha Long bay, which killed 12 people.
The inspection will take place over four days, and all tourist boats on Ha Long bay will be subject, said Dang Huy Hau, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee.
The group will make sure that all boats have been properly registered, that they have acceptable firefighting equipment and environmental practices, said Hau.
Any boat that does not pass the inspection will face withdrawal of its license to operate, he noted.
Provincial authorities requested on February 18 that Truong Hai Co Ltd., the company that owned the boat which sank to temporarily stop its operations.
Hau said that the wrecked boat, No. QN5198, would be brought ashore this afternoon [February 19] for investigation purposes.
The boat, owned by Truong Hai Co., Ltd, was built in 2008, was over 20-metres long, seven-metres wide and has a capacity to carry 30 passengers.
He added that legal procedures would be carried out after the inspection over the ship’ hull as well as an investigation into the exact causes of the accident.
Dao Xuan Dan, Chairman of Ha Long City, said the ship’s owner should take responsibility for the incident, along with the the captain and crew members.
Dan admitted, “The incident is unfortunate and is a stain on the reputation of this place.”
The provincial People\'s Committee has agreed to provide VND20 million (USD957) to the family of each victim killed in the accident and VND10 million (USD478) to each survivor in a bid to help mitigate the damages.
