Tourists in Cambodia boat capsizal are "Vietnamese," not "Chinese"

Tourists in Cambodia boat capsizal are "Vietnamese," not "Chinese"

Shanghai Daily / Xinhua | 8 February 2016

PHNOM PENH, Feb. 8 (Xinhua)-- Six tourists in an express boat capsizal off Cambodian coast in Preah Sihanouk province on Monday morning are Vietnamese, not Chinese, Gen. Chuon Narin, police chief of Preah Sihanouk province, said after checking their passports. 

"After we checked their passports, we learned that all of them are Vietnamese," he said, expressing an apology for his earlier statement that said the six were Chinese. 

The boat with two Cambodian sailors and six Vietnamese tourists (four females and two males), sank at 9:35 a.m. local time near Koh Rong island resort about 18 km offshore due to a winter storm. 

"All people onboard were timely rescued by a patrol boat," Gen. Narin said, adding that all the passengers wore life jackets when the accident occurred. 

He blamed the sailors' defying local authority's warning over the bad weather for the accident.