Eight children among 38 dead as tourist boat capsizes in Vietnam

The boat capsized in the natural beauty spot after a typhoon hit (Picture: Vietnam News Agency / AFP)

At least 38 people have died after a boat carrying 48 tourists and five crew members capsized off the coast of Vietnam.

The Wonder Sea cruise boat overturned at around 2pm local time (7am in the UK) in Ha Long Bay,Quang Ninh Province,on Saturday afternoon.

At least eight children are believed to be among those who died in the incident.

In a statement,the Vietnamese government said: ‘At least 38 of those on board have been confirmed dead and 10 rescued.’

A frantic search-and-rescue operation is still underway with several people still missing.

The ship was rocked by stormy weather after a typhoon hit the South China Sea.

All the tourists on the boat were Vietnamese,according to the official Vietnam News Agency.

A frantic search-and rescue-operation is underway (Picture: Xinhua/Shutterstock)

Tens of thousands of tourists flock to the Halong Bay,which lies roughly 125 miles northeast of Hanoi,each year.

Many take overnight boat tours across the UNESCO World Heritage Site,which is famous for its natural beauty,limestone islands and caves.

The area has been hit by Storm Wipha,the third typhoon to hit the South China Sea this year.

The typhoon is projected to make landfall along Vietnam’s northern coast early next week.