Tragic Capsizing of Ferry in Laos: Tourists Rescued Amid Chaos

Mon Feb 02 2026 18:52:29 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

A ferry in Laos capsized during a routine trip, leading to chaos and panic among more than 140 passengers, mostly tourists. Rescuers are still searching for missing individuals, including children.

A ferry carrying over 140 passengers capsized on the Mekong River in Laos, resulting in chaos and frantic rescue efforts. While most were saved, the search continues for several missing individuals, including children. Passengers reported insufficient safety measures and chaos during the incident, prompting further conversations about ferry safety in the region.

It was supposed to be just another Thursday in Laos, where Anthonin Levelu's father was born.

Instead, the 30-year-old French citizen found himself among more than 140 people, mostly tourists, on a ferry that capsized in the Mekong River. All but three are thought to have made it to safety.

Videos online show a scene of chaos - people screaming for help, children crying and passengers scrambling to get their belongings.

Mr. Levelu recalls seeing a mother and her two children on board the ferry - but they were nowhere to be seen on the rescue boat.

On Monday, Lao media reported that they had found the body of a woman, named Pany Her. Rescuers are still looking for her two children.

The boat was making its way last Thursday from the riverside town of Huay Xay to the historic city of Luang Prabang in northern Laos, a common route along the Mekong - popular with visitors to the country.

There were 118 tourists and 29 locals, including four crew, on board the boat when it struck underwater rocks, according to an official report carried by the Laotian Times.

Within minutes, the ferry began to sink.

The [crew] were just totally unprepared for that. There was a lot of confusion... it happened really, really fast, Mr. Levelu said.

What was, you know, puzzling and alarming is that there were very few life jackets, around like, 15 life jackets maximum... [it] was really bad.

As the boat continued to capsize, passengers shouted to a passing boat for help, but it did not stop - possibly because, according to Mr. Levelu, it was relatively small.

The second one, however, did stop and take them in. However, according to British tourist Bradley Cook, another passenger on board, that briefly made it worse.

Mr. Cook went to the other side to climb up on the roof, from where he jumped onto the rescue ferry.

Some people managed to climb over to the ferry, while others swam for it, hung onto the rails and got pulled up by others. Both Mr. Levelu and Mr. Cook were among those rescued.

But others were less fortunate.

Mr. Levelu says he was helping some other passengers retrieve their luggage at the back of the sinking ferry when he saw a Lao mother and her two children.

However, when he was on the rescue ferry, he realised they weren't there.

Some people were crying, panicking. It was a mess, said Mr. Levulu. [But] I didn't fear for my life... I was more affected by the three missing people.

Lao media later reported that the body of Pany Her, the local woman, had been found near Luang Prabang.

Tens of thousands of tourists use slow boat and speedboat services every year along the 300km (185-mile) route connecting Huay Xay, Pak Beng and Luang Prabang, according to the Mekong River Commission.

For Mr. Cook, the experience was terrifying and it made him want to get out of Luang Prabang, although he noted that everyone's really friendly here, because it was a constant reminder of his narrow escape.

It's not the first time such a sinking has occurred in Laos. In September 2023, a passenger boat capsized in the same area, resulting in three deaths.

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