HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Vietnamese police say human error was to blame for the sinking of a tour boat in Ha Long Bay that killed a dozen sleeping passengers, including 11 foreign tourists.
Quang Ninh provincial police spokesman Le Thanh Binh said Sunday that the boat’s captain and the crew member in charge of the engine have been arrested.
The initial police investigation showed that a valve that allows water to come into the boat to cool the engine was left open while the vessel was anchored for the night. The engine was turned off, preventing a pump from running to push the water out.
Binh said that by the time the captain and crew woke up to find the boat filled with water, it was too late. It sank quickly around 5 a.m. Thursday.
