Six people were killed when a passenger boat collided with a vessel hauling stone and capsized on a lake in northern Vietnam, state media said Sunday.

The two vessels collided on Thac Ba lake, a popular tourist site in the northern province of Lao Cai, on Saturday evening, with 17 of 23 people on board the passenger boat rescued after it capsized, the state-run Lao Dong newspaper said.

Six bodies, including those of two children, were recovered by authorities on Sunday.

The passenger boat was carrying families visiting relatives for Tet, Vietnam's Lunar New Year, the paper said.

It added that the operator of the other vessel involved was not hurt.

Authorities were investigating the cause of the incident, state media outlet VnExpress said.

A tourist boat capsized in Vietnam's Ha Long Bay last year, killing at least 37 people. (AFP)



Edited by Priscilla Ng