River ferry capsizes after being struck by cargo ship in southern Vietnam

A Ro-Pax ferry capsized in the Vam Nao River in Vietnam's southern province of An Giang after being struck by a passing cargo vessel on Tuesday, August 6.

The cargo ship, which has been identified as a Thai-flagged vessel, had earlier departed Cambodia and was sailing along the Vam Nao River when it collided with the ferry at around 14:00 local time on Tuesday.

Eyewitnesses said the cargo ship sounded its horn repeatedly as it approached the ferry. However, the ferry was unable to manoeuvre out of the path of the oncoming vessel and was struck.

The impact then caused the ferry to tilt to one side, dumping three passengers and some of its vehicle cargo into the river.

The crews of some good Samaritan vessels came to the aid of the passengers who fell into the water. One individual, identified as the driver of a truck that was among the ferry's vehicle cargo, suffered leg injuries and has since been brought to hospital.

Transport officials in An Giang have attributed the incident to the ferry crew's failure to maintain a proper lookout.

The incident is the second vessel collision to occur in An Giang since the beginning of this year.

In April, a ferry and a tour boat collided with each other in the Tien River near the town of Tan Chau. The incident left one person dead while two others suffered less severe injuries.