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One Child Found Dead After Luang Prabang Slow Boat Accident, Search Continues for Second Child

This Week

Rescue teams have recovered the body of one child who went missing after a slow boat struck underwater rocks near Tham Ting (Pak Ou) Cave in Pak Ou district, Luang Prabang Province, authorities confirmed on 23 December. Search operations are continuing for another missing girl.

The latest development follows the sinking of a slow boat on the Mekong River on 18 December, which was carrying passengers from Pakbeng district in Oudomxay Province to Luang Prabang City. The incident occurred at around 3:45 PM near Tham Ting Cave, a major tourist site north of Luang Prabang.

Authorities previously reported that the boat, registered under license number 0120 and owned by a resident of Hang Yai village in Chomphet district, struck underwater rocks before sinking approximately 20 minutes later. Investigators noted that damaged river buoyage markers, which help guide vessels and indicate hazards, may have contributed to the accident by causing the driver to misjudge the safe channel.

Passengers and Rescue Efforts

A total of 147 people were on board the vessel, including 118 foreign nationals and 29 Lao citizens, comprising 25 passengers and four crew members. A motorbike and multiple pieces of passenger luggage also sank with the boat.

On 22 December, authorities recovered the body of a woman, later identified as Pany Her from Khokaek village in Hongsa district, Xayyabouly Province, near Xanghai village in Pak Ou district. Her two children were reported missing at the time.

In the latest update, rescue teams confirmed that one of the missing children has been found dead, while efforts remain underway to locate the second child.

Officials have not released further details on the child’s identity or the circumstances of the recovery.

Ongoing Investigation

The Ministry of Public Works and Transport officially confirmed that the slow boat sank after hitting underwater rocks near Tham Ting Cave. An internal report dated 19 December, and made public on 22 December, cited damaged navigational markers as a contributing factor.

Survivors previously told The Laotian Times that only a limited number of life jackets were available on board. Several passengers described scenes of panic as water entered the boat, prompting passengers to hand children to nearby rescue boats and jump into the river to escape.

Local authorities in Luang Prabang have continued recovery operations using boats and cranes to retrieve the sunken vessel and remaining belongings. Most passenger luggage was initially reported to have remained on board, though some passengers have since recovered their items.

Officials said search and recovery efforts remain active, while authorities continue to assess safety conditions along the river route and investigate the circumstances surrounding the accident.

Further updates are expected as rescue operations and the investigation continue.

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