Vietnam tourist boat tragedy 'human error'

Police investigating the sinking of a tourist boat in Vietnam which killed 12 people, including a Scot, have blamed human error for the tragedy.

Stuart McCormick, 30, an engineer from Irvine, Ayrshire, died in Halong Bay with ten other holidaymakers and a local guide.

It is understood he was asleep in his cabin when the wooden vessel started taking in water while at anchor on Thursday morning.

The boat's captain and the crew member in charge of the engine have been arrested.

Police said an initial investigation showed that a valve that allowed water into the boat to cool the engine was left open while the vessel was anchored.

The engine was turned off, preventing a pump from running to push the water out.

Mr McCormick's father Bryan, 54, said: "We are devastated. We had a couple of e-mails from (Stuart] from Vietnam and he was having a great time and enjoying himself."

Mr McCormick had worked for Hewlett Packard in Erskine, Renfrewshire, before being made redundant.

He was nine months into a year-long trip around the world and had spent six months in Australia before heading to Asia.