Rescuers rush to the site where a yacht capsized in Nam Ngum Lake, some 60 km north of Vientiane, Laos, on April 4, 2021. A yacht capsized in Nam Ngum Lake near Vientiane Sunday morning, causing eight deaths, the state-run Lao News Agency (KPL) reported. (Photo by Kaikeo Saiyasane/Xinhua)

VIENTIANE, April 4  -- A yacht capsized in Nam Ngum Lake near the Lao capital Vientiane Sunday morning, causing eight deaths, the state-run Lao News Agency (KPL) reported.

The yacht, carrying 39 people on board overturned at around 9:00 a.m. local time (0200 GMT) on Sunday when caught by a sudden storm hitting the capital area with strong wind, thunder and fairly heavy rain.

Nam Ngum Lake, some 60 km north of Vientiane, is a weekend outing destination for Vientiane residents.

KPL report quoted Khamphan Sithidampha, the governor of Vientiane province, as saying that the boat sank about 40 meters off the shore due to the strong wind. Search and rescue operations were carried out immediately after the incident occurred.

By 16:30 local time (0930 GMT), a total of 31 survivors had been rescued and taken to the hospital, with eight bodies recovered.