It was going to be another Thursday in Laos, where Antonin’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 on the Mekong River. It is believed that all but three people escaped safely.
Online videos show chaotic scenes with people screaming for help, children crying and passengers scrambling to collect their belongings.
Antonin, who declined to give his name, I remember seeing a mother and her two children on the ferry. But he was nowhere to be seen on the rescue ship.
On Monday, Laotian media reported that the body of a woman named Pany Her had been recovered from the river. Rescue workers found the body of a one-year-old child, who they believe was one of the boy’s children. Efforts to find the second child continue.
The ship was heading from the riverside town of Huay Xay last Thursday to the historic city of Luang Prabang in northern Laos, a common route along the Mekong River and a popular destination for visitors to Laos.
According to an official report in the Laotian Times, 118 tourists and 29 locals, including four crew members, were on board the boat when it hit an underwater rock.
Within minutes, the ferry began to sink.
“(The crew) was completely unprepared for this. There was a lot of confusion… it happened really, really fast.” Anthonin said.
“You know, what’s disconcerting and surprising is that there were very few life jackets. There were maybe 15 life jackets at most… (it was) really bad.”
As the boat continued to capsize, passengers called for help from passing boats, but it did not stop. According to him, it may have been because the boat was relatively small.
But the second passenger stopped and picked them up. But another passenger on board briefly “made things worse,” according to British tourist Bradley Cook.
The 27-year-old told the BBC that as the rescue boat got closer to the ferry, people started moving and putting their weight on one side of the ferry, causing the hull to fill with water faster.
Mr Cook went to the other side, climbed onto the roof and jumped into the rescue boat.
Some people managed to get onto the ferry, while others swam to the rails and were pulled by others. both antonine Among those rescued was Mr. Cook.
But others were not so lucky.
Antonin He said he was helping other passengers retrieve their luggage from the back of the sinking ferry when he saw a Laotian mother and her two children.
But when he got on the rescue boat, he realized they weren’t there.
“Some people were crying because they were embarrassed. It was a real mess,” he said. “(But) I wasn’t afraid for my life… My heart ached more for the three missing people.”
Later, Lao media reported that the bodies of a Laotian woman, Pany Her, and her one-year-old child were found separately near Luang Prabang.
Another passenger, Gabrielius Baranovicius, 19, told the BBC he and his friend, both from Lithuania, were initially unfazed.
“We were just joking,” Baranovičius said. He added that his attitude quickly changed when he realized they were sinking.
After boarding the rescue boat, Mr Baranovičius said: “Then I heard other people screaming, so I turned off the camera and ran straight to help other people in the water get into the boat.”
Every year, tens of thousands of tourists use slow boat and speedboat services along the 300 km (185 miles) route linking Huay Xai, Pak Beng and Luang Prabang, according to the Mekong River Commission.
For Mr Cook, the experience was “scary” and made him want to get out of Luang Prabang. “Even though everyone is really friendly here,” it was a constant reminder of his narrow escape.
Speaking to the BBC from Vang Vieng in northern Laos, Mr Cook said he planned to file an insurance claim for the damaged electrical appliances and missing cash, but was not sure who would be responsible.
“I think it was just a freak accident,” he said, but added that he was “not sure how avoidable” the ferry capsize was.
This is not the first time such a sinking accident has occurred in Laos.
In September 2023, a ferry traveling on the same river corridor between Huay Xai and Luang Prabang capsized on the Mekong River in Pak Beng district, killing three people.
It is reported that the boat became entangled in fishing nets, lost control, and capsized due to strong currents.
