At least 37 people have died and several are still missing after a tourist boat capsized in Vietnam during bad weather.<\/p>\n The incident took place in Ha Long Bay, a popular tourist destination in the north of the country.<\/p>\n Most of the passengers were reportedly Vietnamese families visiting from the capital Hanoi.<\/p>\n Heavy rain has been hindering the search for survivors, rescuers say, <\/b>but so far 11 people have been pulled from the water alive.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The vessel, named Wonder Seas, was carrying 53 people when it capsized after encountering a sudden storm, a statement from the Vietnamese Border Guards and navy said.<\/p>\n An eyewitness told AFP news agency that the sky darkened around 14:00 local time on Saturday (07:00 GMT).<\/p>\n There were “hailstones as big as toes with torrential rain, thunderstorm and lightning”, he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n A 10-year-old boy was rescued after being trapped in an air pocket in the upturned hull, local media say.<\/p>\n “I took a deep breath… dived, then swam up. I even shouted for help, then I was pulled up by a boat”, the boy – who had been travelling with his parents – told state media outlet VietnamNet<\/a>.<\/p>\n Of the bodies so far recovered, at least eight were children, VNExpress reports.<\/p>\n Rescue efforts are set to continue into the night to find the many still missing.<\/p>\n Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh sent his condolences to the families of the dead.<\/p>\n Authorities will investigate the cause of the accident and “strictly handle violations”, a government statement said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"Getty](\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/521b\/live\/5c54f4f0-64c2-11f0-8c25-cdac59c8864f.jpg.webp\")
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