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On this photo published by the Royal Thai Police, tourists rescued from a sinking ship are rescued on a jetty of a fishing boat on Thursday, July 5, 2018, on the island of Phuket, in the south of Thailand. A boat carrying dozens of Chinese tourists has been overturned in rough seas off southern Thailand and dozens of passengers have been reported missing, the governor of Phuket said. (Royal Thai Police via AP) (Associated Press)
PHUKET, Thailand – Divers from the Thai Navy prepared on Friday for 56 tourists Chinese for the most part after a storm, their dive boat capsized off the island of Phuket
The commander of the Phuket Provincial Police, Teerapol Tipcharoen, said the sea had calmed down since the crash of Thursday night and that research was underway. Charoenpol Kumrasri, said that they hope the survivors can be found in the boat, which lies about 30 meters (98 feet) below the surface. He said that about 30 marine divers would be sent to take part.
The boat was carrying 105 people, including 93 tourists, 11 crew members and a tour guide when it rocked in 5-meter (16-foot) seas. A Chinese passenger was confirmed dead and at least 12 people hospitalized.
The incident comes as rescuers, also led by divers from the Thai Navy, are struggling to extract 12 boys and their football coach from a flooded cave in the north of the country. where they have been trapped since June 23rd.
Norraphat Plodthong Governor of Phuket said Thursday night that 48 passengers were saved from the boat, with 49 without a doubt. Police have already said that 90 people were saved from the boat and only seven were missing. The reason for these discrepancies was not clear.
Another boat also returned from Phuket on Thursday. Authorities said the 42 people on board had been saved.
Jin Yilin, consul general of the Chinese Embassy in Thailand, said that a delegation of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs was going to Thailand. people in large rubber life rafts at sea, with fishing boats and churning water in the bottom. The images also showed survivors being lifted rafts and sitting in life jackets in the middle of the ropes on the deck of what appears to be a trawler.
Phuket authorities had already issued a warning of bad weather until Tuesday.
"All agencies are cooperating in their research right now," Norraphat said. "We gave warnings … but the winds are strong."
He said the authorities would consider banning boats from going to sea in strong winds.
Thai TV PBS reported Thursday that 12 boats with 263 passengers They had all been forced by the time to stay at Racha Island, a popular dive spot about an hour away from Phuket boat.
They said they were providing food, shelter and water, and if the weather did not allow it. The Thai incidents occurred after an overloaded boat carrying illegal Indonesian immigrants capsized in bad weather off the state of Johor in southern Malaysia on Sunday night
. On Friday, 25 people, including a woman, were saved. Ten other people, including four women, were found dead. Rescue operations involving 150 staff members are underway for nine other people suspected of being still missing.
Such tragedies are not uncommon in Malaysia. Many Indonesians are willing to risk their lives by traveling on boats considered old and dangerous to work illegally in Malaysia or to return to their hometown.
Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This document may not be published, distributed, rewritten or redistributed.
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