HANOI, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- Two people were killed after a raft capsized during a sudden whirlwind off northern Vietnam's Quang Ninh province on Sunday evening, local media VnExpress reported Monday.

The wooden raft, operated by a man, was carrying 17 passengers to a clam farming area when it overturned at around 6:15 p.m. on Sunday due to strong winds, the report said.

Sixteen people were rescued, while two others who went missing were later found dead by Monday morning, according to the report.

The whirlwind coincided with a tropical depression moving into the Beibu Gulf, bringing winds of up to 61 kilometers per hour and heavy rains to northern and north-central Vietnam, the National Center for Hydrometeorological Forecasting said. ■