HANOI: A tourist boat ferrying families around Vietnam`s Ha L ong Bay capsized in a storm on Saturday afternoon, leaving at least 34 people dead, according to state media reports, as rescuers scrambled to locate the missing.

The vessel was carrying 48 passengers and five crew members when it capsized in the Unesco World Heritage site because of sudden heavy rain, the VNExpress news site said. Most of those on board were families visiting from the capital Hanoi, with more than 20 children among the passengers, it said.

`Border guards rescued 11 people and recovered 34 bodies,` it added. Rescue efforts were set to continue into the night to find the eight still missing.

Ha Long Bay office worker Tran Trong Hung said the storm started in the afternoon.

`The sky turned dark at around 2 pm (0700 GMT), he said. There were `hailstones as big as toes with torrential rain, thunderstorm and lightning`, he said.

One of the rescued, a 10-year-old boy, told state media outlet VietnamNet: `I took a deep breath, swam through a gap, dived, then swam up. I even shouted for help, then I was pulled up by a boat with soldiers.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh sent his condolences to the families of the deceased and called on the defence and public security ministries to conduct urgentsearchandrescue.

Authorities would `investigate and clarify the cause of the incident and strictly handle violations`, a statement on the government website said. Torrential rain also lashed northern Hanoi, Thai Nguyen and Bac Ninh provinces on Saturday.-AFP