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The dead were found drifting face-down in the water, still wearing lifejackets, several kilometers from where the Phoenix sank after being hit by five-meter waves in a storm on Thursday night.
"Twenty-six bodies were found and brought back here (Pier Chalong) and at least two (more) bodies will soon be transferred to this port," AFP Archayon Kraithong, deputy commissioner of the Thai tourist police.
"The mission will continue," he added.
In an appalling development, divers reported seeing "more than 10 bodies" floating inside the hull of the submerged ship, according to Rear Admiral of the Thai Navy Charoenphon Khumrasee, who said that they would try to pick them up later on Friday.
A survivor, a Chinese woman, was rushed to hospital in Phuket, according to an AFP journalist at the scene, after being found several kilometers from the boat after spending the night in l & # 39; water.
His condition was unknown.
The three-story boat was carrying 105 pbadengers, most Chinese tourists, when it sank.
"The sky was clear when we went out, we had no idea that the weather could change so fast," said Wu Jun, 28, at the bedside of his wife Long's hospital Hai Ning.
The pair, who were on honeymoon, were on different decks as the boat began to list, but both managed to escape.
"I caught a railing and I pulled myself overboard," he told AFP, adding that he feared that women and children would not find themselves stuck on the lower deck.
A total of 56 pbadengers were reported missing on Friday morning before the recovery effort began, the Phoenix appearing to be one of the worst disasters in Thailand's recent history.
The boat sank 40 meters under the surface of the Andaman Sea, a few kilometers from the coast of Koh He, an island known for its coral formations and popular with the day-trippers of the tourist attraction from Phuket.
A stream of body bags was brought to shore at Chalong Pier in Phuket and taken to a nearby hospital for identification.
Helicopters continued to sweep the water Friday afternoon into what appeared to be an increasingly desperate hunt for survivors.
"I'm not sure how many survivors," Noraphat Plodthong, governor of Phuket, told the press.
Some 48 people – pbadengers and crew members – were rescued from the Phoenix before the operation was suspended overnight.
The number two of the Thai junta, Prawit Wongsuwon, ordered an investigation into why "the boat went to sea" despite a weather warning, while Thai police said she would seek to Accuse the captain and the owner of negligence.
The Phoenix was part of several boats that appeared to have ignored a warning in place since Wednesday not to take tourists on a day trip to the islands dotting the seas off Phuket.
Several other ships encountered problems on Thursday night, but all their pbadengers were rescued.
Thailand is already in the spotlight globally for a spectacular rescue mission in the north of the country after 12 boys and their football coach were trapped in a complex of caves.
A Chinese consular officer arrived at the operations center in Phuket to monitor relief operations.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said a working group was on its way to Thailand.
"We hope that the Thai side can continue its efforts and … do its best to treat the wounded, comfort their loved ones and face other follow-up measures," he said. .
Phuket attracts hordes of overseas visitors, including Western sun seekers and a large number of Chinese tourists who account for nearly a third of the 35 million people who should visit Thailand this year.
Last year, 9.8 million Chinese tourists visited Thailand, and five million more arrived between January and May of this year.
Thailand has a poor health and safety record and accidents are common on its roads and waterways, especially in tourist areas during the monsoon season, which is now biting .
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