Thai rescuers yesterday pulled 21 bodies from waters off the coast of the vacation island of Phuket after a tourist boat went down in heavy seas with dozens of Chinese passengers on board.
The dead were found drifting facedown in the water, still wearing life jackets, several kilometers from where the Phoenix sank after being hit by 5m-high waves in a storm on Thursday evening.
In a grisly development, divers reported seeing more than 10 bodies floating inside the submerged boat, Royal Thai Navy Rear Admiral Charoenphon Khumrasee said, adding that rescuers were to retrieve them later yesterday.
Photo: EPA-EFE / Royal Thai Navy Third Area Command
One survivor, a Chinese woman, was rushed to a hospital in Phuket after she was found several kilometers from the boat, floating near the bodies of fellow passengers. Her condition was unknown.
The boat was carrying 105 passengers, mostly Chinese tourists, when it sank.
A total of 56 passengers were reported missing as of yesterday morning before the recovery effort began, with the Phoenix looking set to be one of the worst boat disasters in recent Thai history.
The boat sank 40m below the surface of the Andaman Sea, a few kilometers off the coast of Koh He, an islet known for its coral formations and popular with day-trippers from the tourist magnet of Phuket.
A stream of full body bags were brought to shore at Chalong Pier in Phuket and taken to a nearby hospital for identification, the Thai Ministry of Public Health said.
Helicopters yesterday afternoon scanned the water in what appeared to be an increasingly forlorn hunt for survivors.
“I’m not really sure how many will survive,” Phuket Governor Noraphat Plodthong told reporters.
The Phoenix hit bad weather on Thursday evening, sparking a rescue attempt that took place in the dark.
About 48 people — passengers and crew — were rescued and one body was found before the operation was suspended overnight.
Stunned survivors huddled in blankets on a Phuket pier late on Thursday, some crying while others appeared dazed as they walked around still wearing their life vests.
Thai Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon ordered an investigation into why “the boat went to sea,” despite a strong wind warning.
The Phoenix was among several boats that appeared to have ignored a warning in place since Wednesday not to take tourists on day trips to the islands that dot the seas off Phuket.
Several other vessels hit trouble late on Thursday, but all of their passengers were rescued.
A Chinese consular official arrived at the operations center in Phuket to monitor the rescue effort.
Phuket draws hordes of overseas visitors, including Western sun-seekers and huge numbers of Chinese tourists who make up nearly one-third of the 35 million people expected to visit Thailand this year.
Last year, 9.8 million Chinese tourists visited Thailand, with 5 million more arriving between January and May this year.
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