Several Indian nationals were killed after a tourist boat capsized near Vietnam's Phu Quoc Island on Saturday, with many of the passengers believed to be employees and distributors of Indian smartphone maker Lava Mobiles.

The exact death toll is yet to be officially confirmed as search and rescue operations continue.

According to sources in the Andhra Pradesh government, three people from the state have been hospitalised following the accident. Officials are still verifying the identities of the victims and those missing.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the tragedy, saying he was ‘extremely saddened’ to learn about the boat accident involving Indian nationals near Phu Quoc.

A representative of Lava Mobiles told The Indian Express that the capsized vessel was one of three boats carrying the company's employees and distributors who were on a leisure trip.

Many of those feared dead are believed to be from Andhra Pradesh. The Indian Embassy in Vietnam said it is in touch with local authorities and is closely monitoring the situation.

In a statement, the embassy said the exact details of the incident are still being ascertained while Vietnamese authorities continue search and rescue efforts.

Visuals from the accident site showed the overturned boat floating in rough waters as rescue teams searched for survivors. Several bodies were also seen lined up on the shore.

Telangana sets up control room

The Telangana government's General Administration (NRI) Department has also set up a dedicated control room following the boat tragedy near Phu Quoc Island.

The facility has been established to coordinate rescue and assistance efforts, liaise with authorities, and provide timely information and support to the families of people from Telangana who were on board the vessel.

Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh Minister for Education and IT Nara Lokesh reviewed the situation and held discussions with senior state officials and officials at Andhra Pradesh Bhavan in New Delhi.

His office said he is in constant touch with the Ministry of External Affairs and is closely monitoring developments.