HANOI -- The death toll has risen to 28 after a cruise ship capsized in Ha Long Bay, northern Vietnam's Quang Ninh province, on Saturday afternoon, Vietnam News Agency reported.

At around 1:30 pm on Saturday, the vessel was caught in a sudden storm. By 2:05 pm, it had lost contact and subsequently sank, according to the state-owned media.

The vessel was carrying 48 passengers, including 24 men and 24 women, with many of them being young people and children, local newspaper Tien Phong (Pioneer) reported.