HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — A boat returning from an island trip in southern Vietnam capsized on Saturday, killing 15 Indian tourists less than half a kilometer (0.30 mile) from shore, as passengers shouted for help, officials and a witness said.

The speedboat was carrying 32 Indian tourists and four crew members when it overturned Saturday afternoon shortly after leaving Hon May Rut Ngoai Island, which is near Phu Quoc, Vietnam’s largest island, authorities were quoted as saying.

“The boat had not even gone half a kilometer when it just tipped over,” Ashish Kumar, an Indian who witnessed the accident, told The Associated Press over the phone. “We screamed, ‘Help! Help!’”

He said nearby boats immediately rushed to the rescue. “But by then it was too late,” he said.

Kumar said that there was no emergency medical care available at the shore when survivors were brought back.

He said that at least some of the passengers were on a company tour organized by their employer, which makes smartphones and other electronics.

Three of his friends were on the boat. “Two have died, and the other, I was told, is critical,” he said.

India’s Lava International, a smartphone and consumer electronics manufacturer, confirmed that some of its employees and channel partners were among those involved in the accident. “Our immediate priority is to extend all possible support to those affected and their families,” it said.

Strong winds and waves lashed rescue boats

VN Express news site quoted witnesses as saying that some people were trapped inside the capsized boat. Footage on Vietnamese TV showed rough seas and strong winds as rescue teams threw life buoys to people in the water. Jet skis ferried survivors back to shore while people on the beach provided first aid.

Twenty-one people were rescued, and all the dead were recovered, authorities said. The injured were taken to hospitals.

Vietnamese Prime Minister Le Minh Hung ordered an investigation and directed authorities to hold those responsible accountable. He also asked officials to review waterway and maritime safety in the area where the accident happened.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences over the tragedy and wrote on social media that the Indian Embassy was providing all possible assistance.

Many of those on board are believed to be from India’s southern Telangana and Tamil Nadu states.

Authorities in Telangana have set up a control room to coordinate assistance and provide information to their families. The Tamil Nadu chief minister wrote on social media that he had urged Indian authorities to provide assistance to the victims and ensure that the bodies of those killed are brought back as soon as possible.

Downham, who plays Charity Dingle’s son, Noah, joined Emmerdale when he was just six years old and is set to exit after 17 years.

It’s reported that Downham has already filmed his final moments on the soap, which will be shown to viewers later this year.

Emmerdale star axed from ITV soap

Discussing Downham’s reported exit, a source told The Sun, “Jack is such a lovely lad, and everyone adores him.

“He’s been on the show since he was a young child, so it’s all he’s ever known.

“He was told of the news last month, and his axing has once again sent shockwaves through the cast and crew.

“Everyone is wondering who will be next.”

Downham is not the only Emmerdale star to be cut from the ITV soap, as stars Bradley Johnson, Nick Miles and Olivia Bromley are all also being axed.

Johnson, who plays Mandy Dingle’s adopted son Vinny, will be leaving after seven years on the show, while Bromley, who plays Dawn Taylor, is exiting after eight years.

Voting is open for Inside Soap Awards – get your votes for Emmerdale in now! ✨❤️

Vote here: https://t.co/M0d38qBUqn ✨#Emmerdale pic.twitter.com/gcRDreaxoc

— Emmerdale (@emmerdale) July 12, 2026

Miles, who has played Jimmy King since 2004, is expected to be killed off, in an exit that will coincide with the return of ex-wife Sadie King (Patsy Kensit).

According to reports, actor Miles is still filming scenes on the soap and will be on screen until the autumn.

Further reports have suggested that ITV bosses have plans for a big stunt that could kill off some big characters.

Responding to reports, an ITV spokesperson said, “We don’t comment on cast contracts.”

Do you watch Emmerdale? Let us know in the comments.

IN the autumn of 1944 I fell ill and I was diagnosed as having Tuberculosis (TB).

My mother was devastated and confused. TB was associated with poverty, bad sanitation and a poor diet; none of these things applied to me, but the social stigma directed to parents of children contracting the disease didn’t discriminate.

To add to my mother’s worries, in late September my father was reported ‘missing in action’. It would be four months before she learnt he was safe.

At that time the only treatment for TB was extensive bed-rest and exposure to clean, fresh air. So I was confined to bed on a verandah at the rear of the County Hospital, Monkgate. Unfortunately, fumes from the nearby Gas Works prevented exposure to clean air, my condition gradually deteriorated and the TB spread to my spine.

Ivan Martin pictured in 2011.

As a consequence, in late 1945 I was transferred to the Adela Shaw Orthopaedic Hospital at Kirkbymoorside where I was confined to a bed with a frame to restrict my movement, the bed was then situated on a verandah open to the elements.

There I stayed, throughout the severe winter of 1947 until early1948 when I was assessed as ‘cured’.

Upon which I was freed from the bed and then, with the aid of the nurses, I learnt to walk, before returning home.

Meanwhile, in 1945 my father was liberated and came back to York to return to my mother and his trade as a carpenter/joiner.

He had seen me briefly in 1943, it would be 1948 before we saw each other again.

My memories of Fulford’s open-air school 1948-1950

York’s outdoor Open-Air School

When I left Kirkbymoorside I was fitted with a leather back support which was kept in place with two shoulder straps and a waist belt. I had to wear this all day even at night in bed.

My mother had to sew an insert into the back of my shirts to enable the shirts to fasten at the front.

My trousers would not hold up with a belt, so I had to use braces instead.

To hide the modified shirts and the embarrassing braces, my mother knitted special sweaters and sleeve-less pullovers with big chest sizes.

I wore these sweaters and pullovers as much as possible, even on hot days. With these clothes you couldn’t see the back support.

In the September of 1948 my mother first took me to board the school bus to go to the Fulford’s open-air school.

We got off in Fulford near the ‘Cross’, an adult escorted us up a lane before entering the school on the right, which I remember was a collection of dark wooden huts, surrounding a hardened central area.

The huts became our classrooms, they had very large windows which were wide opened most of the time, even during winter. In summer lessons were taken outside on the various grass lawns at the back of the huts.

Each day was the same, starting with a breakfast, usually porridge and toast followed by short walk to our classroom for lessons. Then mid-day ‘dinner’. The stew I remember, with mashed potato, followed by a pudding and custard, then we were always given an apple to eat afterwards.

After ‘dinner’ we were all required to lay down on a camp bed to rest or sleep for an hour. A mass of camp beds were laid out on the hard central ground even in the coldest of weathers (my Kirkbymoorside experience meant I never felt cold).

Pupils like Ivan Martin tooks naps outdoors at Fulford Open-Air School in York

The day concluded by being taken back down the lane to queue next to the ’Cross’ for the bus home.

I didn’t make many friends at the school. Most children knew each other away from school, I didn’t. They were obviously from poorer families, their unkept appearance with dirty clothes and poor personal hygiene, contrasted with a minority of other children, better dressed, but all strangers to each other.

It was to this group I gravitated. There was also a marked division between the ‘have’s’ and the ‘have-nots’. Bullying and petty theft was a problem; I ‘lost’ my gloves, my balaclava, colouring pencils and a penknife. My mother wrote to the school but I never got them back.

There was little time for lessons between meals and the ‘sleep’. Most of the lessons were taken outside sitting on the grass.

I didn’t like sums (maths), reading or writing which was all new to me, but enjoyed drawing, painting and colouring which I had done before in hospital. I also remember enjoying playing with, and stroking the pet rabbits. Academic achievement did not appear to be important, there was no ‘marking’ of work and no tests or reports. Parents were not made aware of needs, progress or lack of it.

Life after Fulford Open-Air School

I left Fulford Open-Air School in the early summer of 1950 and left behind friends that I never saw again. In the September, I went to the Glenn Junior School (later amalgamated with the Avenue School to become Tang Hall Junior School), I didn’t like it.

The lessons I found very difficult (except drawing and painting) and still wearing a back brace made me different, the centre of attention and cruel remarks, especially when I couldn’t play like the other boys.

I was not happy. The first Christmas report to my parents was not very good, I was marked bottom of the class for most subjects (except art) with nothing at all complimentary. The Open-Air School had done me no academic favours.

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My father took hold of the situation. For months each evening I had to either read to him, copy writing, do simple maths, learn to spell words or explore facts about countries or people.We played games with a maths element like darts and dominoes. He was firm but gentle – I never came bottom of the class again.

The stigma of having had TB was a difficult burden; no-one called for me to ‘play out’ like the other local children did. I was an only and lonely child, spending much time on my own, drawing or painting.

When I was ten, I finally lost the need for my back brace and so dispensed with all movement restrictions.

Ivan Martin is pictured here with the Evelyn cup handed over by chair of YAYAS Rosemary Sutill, to president of York tennis club, John Scott, also pictured are David Brinklow and Ian Drake. Photo – York Press

At last I was the same as all the other boys at school. I now had the physical freedom to learn to play various sports from my father like table tennis, tennis and cricket.

Eventually, playing these sports would give me confidence – the platform for lasting friendships, respect (I played cricket for the school) and many happy times.

At the age of 15, I was finally discharged from the Children’s Health Clinic, ready for the adult world.

In 1964 the Fulford Open-Air School closed. In 1970 the Adela Shaw Hospital also closed. Thankfully the need for both was finally over.

History of York’s open-air school

Children taking classes at York’s outdoor Open-Air School

FULFORD’S open-air school was a very special school in York. It’s official name was Fulford Road School for Delicate and Partially Sighted Children.

In fact, the school was designed for children battling tuberculosis. It was based in a converted army hut in grounds at Fulford Cross.

It opened in Fulford in 1920 but was first established in 1913 in Castlegate – originally in the same building as the Tuberculosis Dispensary, with classes held in a garden next door. In 1919, records show there were 39 children enrolled.

At Fulford, extra accommodation was made and by 1956, 108 children were on the register.

Open-air schools were established across the UK and abroad between the world wars.

Their aim was to tackle the rise of tuberculosis (TB) during that time, under the belief that fresh air would improve health. The schools tended to be away from city centres and sources of pollution.

Children were taught in classrooms with open doors and windows, or outside. And sleeping was done outside or in wards that were exposed to the elements.

Has your child’s name made the list?

The most popular boys and girls names in each area of Cambridgeshire have been revealed. Every year, the Office for National Statistics reveals the most popular baby names from across the year.

Nationally, Muhammad, Noah and Leo topped the list for boys names while Olivia, Lily and Amelia were the top three girls names. Leo is a new entry into the top three this year, replacing Oliver which now ranks as the sixth most popular boy’s name. Lily has also overtaken Amelia, and has risen 11 places over the last 10 years.

But the popularity of a name can vary depending on where you live. Overall, the most popular boy’s name in Cambridgeshire is George, whist the most popular girls’ name is Poppy. You can see the top name for each area of Cambridgeshire below.

The most popular boy names for each area of Cambridgeshire are:

• Peterborough – Muhammad
• Cambridge – Gabriel, Oliver
• East Cambridgeshire – George
• Fenland – Albie, Edward and Freddie
• Huntingdonshire – Theodore
• South Cambridgeshire – George, Oscar

The most popular girls names for each area of Cambridgeshire are:

• Peterborough – Amelia
• Cambridge – Olivia
• East Cambridgeshire – Elsie
• Fenland – Florence, Grace, Maeve, Ophelia and Poppy
• Huntingdonshire – Freya
• South Cambridgeshire – Poppy

Some of the girls and boys name that were most popular in our county also featured in the top 10 across England and Wales. Girls’ names making it to the country-wide list include Olivia, Amelia, Freya and Poppy. For boys, popular Cambridgeshire names that feature in the top 10 across the country include Muhammad, Oliver, George, Oscar, Freddie and Theodore.

You can see how your name has ranked over the years using our interactive gadget.

New entries to the top 100 baby names included Eliana, Gracie, Anaya, Alba, Marnie, Lilah and Frankie for girls, and Vincent, Carter, Stanley and Ruben for boys. Compared with 2024, the names with the biggest increase in popularity in the top 100 were Ada (up 54 places), Maeve (up 24 places) and Charlotte (up 24 places) for girls; and Roman (up 33 places), Harry (up 26 places) and Finley (up 25 places) for boys.

Names that are no longer in the top 100 include Jessica (down 44 places), Ellie (down 31 places), and Amelie (down 22 places) for girls; and Bodhi (down 18 places), Grayson (down 14 places) and Brody (down 7 places) for boys.

Across England and Wales, the top 10 boys names were:

1. Muhammad
2. Noah
3. Leo
4. Luca
5. Arthur
6. Oliver
7. George
8. Oscar
9. Theodore
10. Freddie

The top girls names across England and Wales were:

1. Olivia
2. Lily
3. Amelia
4. Isla
5. Florence
6. Freya
7. Poppy
8. Elsie
9. Ivy
10. Isabella

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