India Responds to Maritime Tragedies in Vietnam and West Bengal

The Government of India managed two separate maritime disasters involving the loss of Indian lives in Vietnam and West Bengal. On Monday evening, the remains of 15 Indian nationals were repatriated to Mumbai following a speedboat accident near Phu Quoc Island, Vietnam, on July 11. The victims, who included employees and distributors of Lava International, were part of a group of 32 to 36 tourists traveling from Hon May Rut Islet to An Thoi Port. Repatriation was coordinated by the Embassy of India in Hanoi and the Consulate General of India in Ho Chi Minh City, with assistance from Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu.

In a separate incident, rescuers recovered nine bodies from the FB Joy Maa Kali, a fishing trawler that capsized in the Bay of Bengal. The vessel had departed Shankarpur Fishing Harbour in Purba Medinipur on June 2 with 15 crew members before disappearing during adverse weather. A joint search operation involving the Indian Coast Guard, the Forest Department, and police located the sunken ship near Rakteshwar Char in the South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced ex-gratia payments of Rs 2 lakh from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund for the families of the deceased in West Bengal and Rs 50,000 for the injured. President Droupadi Murmu and Vice President CP Radhakrishnan also issued condolences regarding the loss of life in the South 24 Parganas disaster.