Families urge swift action to return bodies of boat accident victims from Vietnam

Families of the ten Indian nationals who perished in a tragic boat accident off Vietnam's Phu Quoc Island on Saturday are appealing to the Tamil Nadu and Central governments for swift action to bring back the bodies. The accident claimed the lives of ten individuals from Tamil Nadu, three from Andhra Pradesh, and two from Kerala.

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We received information about the accident at around 2pm on Saturday. At about 4.30pm, we were informed that he passed away. We request the Tamil Nadu government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take steps to bring the body of my brother bac home safely.

Mohammed Abdullah Majeed, a relative of 54-year-old Shaikh Abdullah Abdul Majeed, a mobile phone dealer, shared the distressing news received on Saturday afternoon. He pleaded with the Tamil Nadu government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to facilitate the return of his brother's remains. Majeed had reportedly decided to join the Vietnam trip, sponsored by a mobile phone company, at the last minute, even asking his son to go in his place initially.

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Normally, he (Majeed) avoids taking up overseas trips. This time too even he asked his son to take part in the trip on his behalf. But at the last minute, he changed plans and left for Vietnam on July 8.

Mahendran, brother of Muruga Prabhu Arumugam, 44, from Palani, also urged the Central government to expedite the repatriation process. He mentioned that state ministers had contacted the family and assured assistance. Similarly, the family of Vinaya Kumar Chithapuram Bhaskara, 40, from Vellore, expressed their grief and requested the governments to hand over the body quickly for final rites. Vinaya Kumar's wife, Jayasree, was reportedly admitted to CMC, Vellore, after suffering shock upon hearing the news of her husband's death.

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Even on Saturday morning, before taking up the boat trip, he called us from Vietnam and spoke to the family members. He told that he will be going to an island and there may be poor cell phone network and he will not be able to talk and call once he returns to the hotel room. But, he passed away in the tragic accident.

One relative recounted the last phone call from Majeed on Saturday morning before the boat trip, where he mentioned going to an island and warned of potential poor cell phone reception. He promised to call back once he returned to his hotel. Tragically, he passed away in the accident before he could fulfill that promise. The families are grappling with their loss and anxiously await the return of their loved ones.

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We hail from Palani. Muruga Prabhu was 44 years old. Minister for Backward Classes Welfare V Sampath Kumar and Minister for Prohibition K Vignesh contacted us and assured us all help. We have requested them to swiftly bring back my brother’ body.