An Australian tourist is one of the nine survivors of the Halong Bay tour boat accident in Vietnam that killed 12 others on Thursday morning, reports said.

The Quang Ninh provincial government in Northeastern Vietnam confirmed in a statement posted on its website that nine surviving tourists were from Australia, Denmark, Germany, Italy, US, France, and Switzerland.

However, another tourist holding Australian permanent residency, was among the 11 foreigners who perished in the boat accident, a related report from Bloomberg News and a government statement said.

The tour boat operated by Quang Ninh-based Truong Hai Co., sank at 5 a.m. local time in calm weather one kilometer southeast of Ti Top island, Hung said. Fifteen out of the 27 passengers and crew were rescued, according to Bloomberg.

The Quang Ninh provincial government statement on the website further said that problems with the boat's hull were brought up, "crew members and staff tried their best to deal with the water that flooded in."

Halong Bay is a United Nations World Heritage site made popular by cruising more than a thousand limestone islands. The government website said Halong Bay had 48,000 visitors during the Lunar New Year week last month.