Three British tourists have died while climbing waterfalls in Vietnam after using an unofficial tour guide who has been detained by police for questioning.
The group had been using a zip line to cross the Datanla Waterfalls in the Lam Dong province, in Dalat, when the accident happened.
One of the victims has been named as former Royal Navy sailor Christian Sloan, 25. The other victims were two women, as yet unnamed, aged 19 and 25.
Christian Sloan
Mr Sloan's family said: "Christian's death is a very sad loss to us. He was a very popular young man, formerly in the Royal Navy, who had many, many friends not just locally but around the world. He lived for life."
Their guide raised the alarm Friday afternoon, and police later recovered two of the bodies from an abyss in the downstream area of the waterfall. The body of the third victim is yet to be recovered.
The deceased are said to be two men and a woman and were reportedly all wearing lifejackets.
Three Britons have died after a zip line accident at the Datanla Waterfalls in Vietnam
It is not known what caused the deaths which are being investigated by police.
The accident happened at the Datanla tourist area, managed by the Dalat Tourist Co, but the trio were said to have been taken there by another tour operator, Dam Me Co, according to Vo Anh Tan, deputy director of Dalat Tourist.
He told state-run Tuoi Tre newspaper: “Dam Me Co did not buy tickets for using the zip line, so the tourists were not provided with the proper equipment for the adventure game by Dalat Tourist."
Tan said the safety equipment used for the game was imported from Europe and is given to all tourists who buy entrance tickets.
“Some companies, like Dam Me, have dodged the admission fees and let their guests play the game, which might have led to today’s accident,” he said.
Tan said the accident was “beyond our supervision, but we are still trying to help deal with this tragedy”.
The driver from a local travel firm booked by the tourists, Do Ngoc Long, told local media he had driven them to the site at 11.30am and learned about the accident at 1pm local time.
The Datanla waterfall sits in the middle of the Prenn mountain pass, some 5km from the heart of Da Lat, a romantic resort city.
The Foreign Office said in a statement: “We are providing support to the families of three British nationals following their deaths near Da Lat, Vietnam. Our sympathies are with their families and friends at this difficult time. We are in close contact with local authorities in Vietnam on their behalf.”