Sixteen people, including a three-year-old boy, drowned in Vietnam after their vessel sank during the child's birthday party, officials said Saturday, as police arrested three boat company workers. About 100 police and soldiers were mobilised on the Saigon River in southern Binh Duong province, near Ho Chi Minh City, in Saturday's search for the victims, according to Trieu Van Giau, head of the local water police.
He said divers had recovered 15 of the dead from the water and were working to free a child's body from the wreckage of the vessel. A total of 28 people had been on board the vessel when it sank due to strong winds and heavy rain, said Thanh Cung, president of the local People's Committee, updating an initial figure of 26 from police. The three-year-old boy's father was among 12 people able to swim to safety, he said. Four of those drowned are believed to be of Chinese origin.