France Frees Seized British Scallop Dredger

A British trawler Cornelis Gert Jan is seen moored in the port of Le Havre, after France seized on Thursday a British trawler fishing in its territorial waters without a licence, in Le Havre, France, October 29, 2021. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier
A British trawler Cornelis Gert Jan is seen moored in the port of Le Havre, after France seized on Thursday a British trawler fishing in its territorial waters without a licence, in Le Havre, France, October 29, 2021. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier
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France Frees Seized British Scallop Dredger

A British trawler Cornelis Gert Jan is seen moored in the port of Le Havre, after France seized on Thursday a British trawler fishing in its territorial waters without a licence, in Le Havre, France, October 29, 2021. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier
A British trawler Cornelis Gert Jan is seen moored in the port of Le Havre, after France seized on Thursday a British trawler fishing in its territorial waters without a licence, in Le Havre, France, October 29, 2021. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier

Britain said on Tuesday that France had freed a British scallop dredger that it seized last week in French waters, and welcomed French President Emmanuel Macron's decision to postpone slapping trade sanctions on Britain over the fishing row.

Post-Brexit bickering over fish culminated last Wednesday in the French seizure of a British scallop dredger, the Cornelis Gert Jan, in French waters near Le Havre.

Asked if the impounded vessel had been released, British Environment Secretary George Eustice said: "Yes. I understand that that vessel has now been released."

The owner of the vessel could not be immediately reached for comment. Ship tracking data shows the vessel in Le Havre, Reuters reported.

Macron said on Monday he was postponing trade sanctions on Britain so that negotiators from both sides could work on new proposals to defuse their dispute over post-Brexit fishing rights.

"It's a decision by the French to step back from the threats they made," Eustice told Sky. "We welcome that."



Dozens Dead in Vietnam after Ha Long Bay Tourist Ferry Sinks

A handout photo made available by the Vietnam News Agency shows a tourist boat being salvaged in Ha Long Bay, Quang Ninh province, Vietnam, 20 July 2025. EPA/VIETNAM NEWS AGENCY
A handout photo made available by the Vietnam News Agency shows a tourist boat being salvaged in Ha Long Bay, Quang Ninh province, Vietnam, 20 July 2025. EPA/VIETNAM NEWS AGENCY
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Dozens Dead in Vietnam after Ha Long Bay Tourist Ferry Sinks

A handout photo made available by the Vietnam News Agency shows a tourist boat being salvaged in Ha Long Bay, Quang Ninh province, Vietnam, 20 July 2025. EPA/VIETNAM NEWS AGENCY
A handout photo made available by the Vietnam News Agency shows a tourist boat being salvaged in Ha Long Bay, Quang Ninh province, Vietnam, 20 July 2025. EPA/VIETNAM NEWS AGENCY

Rescuers searched desperately Sunday for five people still missing after at least 38 were killed when a boat capsized at one of Vietnam's most popular tourist destinations.

The tourist boat ferrying families around Vietnam's famed Ha Long Bay was lashed by a sudden storm Saturday in one of the deadliest disasters at the UNESCO World Heritage site.

The vessel "Wonder Sea" was carrying 48 passengers and five crew when it capsized because of sudden heavy rain, the VNExpress news site said.

Tran Trong Hung, a resident in the Ha Long Bay area, told AFP: "The sky turned dark."

There were "hailstones as big as toes with torrential rain, thunderstorms and lightning", he 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 had rescued 11 people and recovered 34 bodies by Saturday evening, it added.

Overnight, the bodies of three crew members were found in the cabin, and rescue efforts continued into Sunday morning to find the five people still missing.

One of the rescued died in hospital on Sunday, bringing the toll to 38, VNExpress 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 on".

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh sent his condolences on Saturday to relatives of those killed and called on the defence and public security ministries to conduct urgent search and rescue.

Authorities would "investigate and clarify the cause of the incident and strictly handle violations", a government statement said.

Torrential rain also lashed northern Hanoi, Thai Nguyen and Bac Ninh provinces on Saturday.

Several trees were knocked down in the capital by strong winds.

The storm followed three days of intense heat, with the mercury hitting 37 degrees Celsius (99 degrees Fahrenheit) in some areas.

Mai Van Khiem, director of the National Center for Hydrometeorological Forecasting, was quoted in VNExpress as saying that the thunderstorms in northern Vietnam were not caused by the influence of Tropical Storm Wipha in the South China Sea.

Wipha entered the South China Sea on Sunday gaining strength, and is on course to make landfall in Vietnam early next week.

Ha Long Bay is one of Vietnam's most popular tourist destinations, with millions of people visiting its blue-green waters and rainforest-topped limestone islands each year.

Last year, 30 vessels sank at boat lock areas in coastal Quang Ninh province along Ha Long Bay after Typhoon Yagi brought strong wind and waves.

And this month, a ferry sank off the popular Indonesian resort island of Bali, killing at least 18 people.