It was supposed to be a work trip people bragged about.
An all-expenses offsite. Beaches. Bonuses. A reward for hitting targets.
Instead, it became one of the deadliest tragedies to hit Indian travellers abroad this year.
On Saturday, a boat carrying 32 Indian tourists — most of them Lava channel partners and employees — capsized near Vietnam's Phu Quoc Island.
It was returning from Mây Rút Ngoài Island to An Thới Port.
The sea, calm all week, turned violent.
👉 36 people were onboard — 32 tourists, 3 crew, 1 attendant.
👉 15 died.
👉 21 survived.
More than 100 Lava partners and staff had flown in for this incentive trip.
Some brought their families.
This wasn't a small delegation. It was a company celebrating its people.
That's how close the boat was when it flipped.
Witnesses say nearby boats reached the wreck within five minutes.
But the sea doesn't wait.
"Only a few people were brought out conscious," one rescuer said.
Some passengers stayed trapped inside as the vessel went under.
The Indian Embassy in Ho Chi Minh City spent hours confirming identities before publishing all 32 names.
Families back home had been refreshing news feeds, waiting.
Lava's statement was short, almost stunned: "We are deeply saddened... our thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected."
Control rooms are now running in both Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.
Embassy staff are coordinating with hospitals, families, and Vietnamese rescue teams.
Search and rescue operations are still active.
Vietnamese authorities are investigating why a routine transfer boat, in known rough conditions, was allowed to sail at all.
Somewhere in India right now, colleagues are staring at a WhatsApp group that used to be full of trip photos.
It's silent now.
And that silence says more than any headline could.
That's all for now!
