A total of 47 people have been recovered, including 10 survivors and 37 confirmed dead, after a cruise ship capsized in Ha Long Bay, northern Vietnam, Vietnam News Agency reported on Sunday.

The wreck was salvaged and towed ashore on early on Sunday morning for further investigation.

The ship sank on Saturday afternoon while carrying 48 Vietnamese tourists on a sightseeing tour.

Five crew members were also on board.

Authorities in Quang Ninh province deployed four large vessels and core rescue forces to support the salvage operation.

Rescue teams are now racing to search for missing people as Typhoon Wipha is approaching the area.

Despite a calm sea, rescuers, from police and border guards to divers and navy personnel, were battling limited visibility hours before the expected landfall in northern Vietnam of Typhoon Wipha, which is now approaching Hong Kong.

The government said rescuers had managed to retrieve the sunken boat and revised down the death toll to 35 from an initial 38 on Saturday, while cutting an estimate of those aboard to 49 from 53, though officials fear the toll could still rise.

All the tourists aboard were Vietnamese, including several children, the official Vietnam News Agency said.

“My brother can swim, but I was told everything happened too fast,” Tran Trung Tu, 39, whose sibling was 32, told Reuters at a funeral parlour on Sunday.

The accident was one of the worst in recent years in the UNESCO-protected archipelago of thousands of limestone islands about 200 km (125 miles) northeast of Hanoi, which draws tens of thousands of visitors each year.

The sudden thunderstorm turned the sky dark in a matter of minutes, felling trees in the capital of Hanoi, where officials at the Noi Bai international airport said nine flights were diverted and three departures temporarily halted.

“It is the first time I have experienced an accident with so many casualties here,” said insurance agent Do Thi Thuy.

A tour boat sank in Halong Bay in 2011, killing 12, with some foreign tourists among them.

The government said the accident was caused by a “sudden” storm. Strong winds, heavy rain and lightning were reported around the time of the event, at 2 p.m. on Saturday.

“I was told life vests were available, but it was too sudden,” said Do Van Hai, 42, a Halong resident. “Hopefully, the missing ones will be found soon.”

Agencies

The Majestic Princess recently sailed from Southampton to kick off a repositioning cruise to Canada and New England.

After sailing from the British port on July 18, the Princess Cruises vessel is now offering a 15-night voyage that will end in Boston.

The trans-Atlantic cruise features visits to destinations in Iceland and Canada, including Reykjavik, Isafjord and Grundarfjordur, as well as Charlottetown, Sydney and Halifax.

After arriving at its new homeport in North America, the Majestic Princess is set to kick off its first-ever fall foliage season in Canada and New England.

Sailing roundtrip from Boston, the vessel offers seven-night cruises around the region that include visits to Portland, Halifax, Sydney, Eastport and Saint John.

In September, the Majestic Princess is also scheduled to offer open-jaw itineraries that sail between Quebec City and Boston.

Upon completing the deployment on the East Coast, the 141,000-ton ship is set to reposition to Fort Lauderdale for itineraries in the Caribbean.

Before arriving in Florida, the vessel offers a 14-night “Canada and Colonial America” itinerary that sails between Quebec City and Port Everglades.

The open-jaw itinerary includes visits to Saguenay, Charlottetown, Sydney, Halifax, Boston, New York City, Newport and Norfolk.

As part of its 2025-26 winter season, the Royal-class ship offers six- to eight-night cruises from Fort Lauderdale to destinations in the Western, Southern and Eastern Caribbean.

Originally designed for service in China and Asia, the Majestic Princess was built at the Fincantieri shipyard in 2017.

Before kicking off its maiden season in the Mediterranean earlier this year, the 3,600-guest ship underwent a major refurbishment at a shipyard in Italy.

As part of the modernization project, the vessel debuted new venues, reimagined spaces and refined touches, including the addition of O’Malley’s Irish Pub and Bellini’s Cocktail Bar.

The Majestic Princess also got new dining options, such as the Ocean Terrace Sushi Bar, Alfredo’s Slice and The Salty Dog Grill.