The ferry accident scene. In this photo, rescuers and local authorities are searching for possible missing victims
The retrieved dead victim was identified as Vo Thi Tham, 25, who was 3-4 months pregnant. Tham was a garment worker for a company in Nui Thanh district.
Besides the passengers, the ferry also carried 30 motorbikes and one truck carrying wood products, which weighed more than 2 tonnes.
Local authorities believe that overloading was the cause of the accident.
The ferry owner cum driver, identified as Bui Van Thu, fled the scene after the incident.
Thu had already been fined three times for carrying more than the ferry’s designed capacity, but he continued to overload the vessel anyway.
Local authorities are retrieving the ferry and identifying how many people are still missing.
