Passengers traveling on an express hydrofoil from Ho Chi Minh City to Vung Tau Monday morning were in for a rude shock when the engine seized up just 20 minutes into the journey.
Unable to fix it, the crew on the Greenlines boat herded the passengers into another vessel, which was already nearly full.
Thus, the other vessel, which had a capacity of 75, was carrying 125 people.
But for the passengers it was to be a case of jumping from the frying pan into the fire as fierce waves began to rock the boat. Some called their families and authorities, pleading for help.
Others pleaded with the boat captain to stop but he ignored them.
After the boat docked in Vung Tau, port officials discovered the captain did not have a driving license and there were not enough life jackets on board, Thanh Nien newspaper reported.
They have reported to transport authorities.
The passengers were furious with the company, saying it should have sent an empty boat to the spot to evacuate them.
Hydrofoil services between HCMC and Vung Tau, 120 km to the southeast, have been plagued with service and safety problems.
The fast boats take just one and a half hours to do the trip compared to four hours by road and so are popular with tourists. This leads operators to often overload the vessels.
