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HONG KONG – Two boats carrying tourists off the coast of Thailand capsized in waves of 16 feet near the island of Phuket, killing at least 21 people and leaving dozens of missing, said Friday. officials. The Phoenix PC Diving two-stage cruise ship was carrying 105 passengers, including 93 tourists, all from China, when it capsized Thursday after leaving Koh Racha, a popular dive spot.
The Phuket Governor and Phuket Public Relations Department said Friday afternoon that 21 bodies had been recovered so far. Thirty-five more are missing.
The second boat, the Serenita, sank Thursday off Koh Mai Thon, a small island off the coast of Phuket. There were 42 people on board, all of whom were saved, the officials said.
The boats were out at sea despite a warning of severe weather.
Somjing Boontham, who said that he was the captain of the Phoenix, said that he had urged passengers to put lifejackets while crew members lowered Frenziedly the lifeboats while huge waves slammed and tipped the boat. The pictures of the scene show lifeboats carrying up to 20 people, including some children.
Thailand was paralyzed by efforts to rescue 12 boys and their trainer from the flooded cave of Tham Luang in the north of the country. Thailand
Wang Xudong, who is part of a private Chinese search and rescue group, had helped the cave, but on Friday, he was preparing to search for his lost compatriots at sea.
I do not m & # I never expected to be here in Phuket for something like this, "he said." We had good news at the cave, and I hope we can have good news in Phuket too. . I want to help in any way possible, whether for Thais or Chinese. "
Chinese state media reported that 127 Chinese tourists were involved in both episodes, including 37 on a boat that was working for a furniture company in Zhejiang.Many tourists on the Phoenix were staying in large international stations in Phuket.
On Friday morning, helicopters, police and fishing boats invaded the area in search of survivors. "We will conduct aerial searches and send divers to check inside the boat. wrecked Phoenix, "said Phuket Governor Noraphat Plothong on Friday morning." Police investigators said most of the tourists were wearing life jackets. I guess they're trapped in the boat, "he said, adding that he hoped some had survived.
More than a quarter of foreign tourists going to Thailand are Chinese, according to government data.More than 10% of the Thai economy depends on tourism.
A Chinese film, "Lost in Thailand", helped to make the popularity of the Southeast Asian a holiday destination for Chinese visitors
Drowned at Karon Beach in Phuket.Red flags, indicating that the water was not safe to swim because of leakage currents, had been placed on the beach.
Phuket, one of Thailand's most popular destinations, was devastated by the 2004 tsunami of people on the island. In the years that followed, Chinese tourists and russian flocked to Phuket, changing the character of tourism there.Many panels in Phuket are now in Chinese and Cyrillic, in addition to English.
The tourist infrastructure on Phuket and the neighboring islands of the Andaman Sea has been affected by the influx. Maya Bay, famous for its participation in Leonardo DiCaprio's film "The Beach", was closed on 1 June by Thailand's National Parks Department to give coastal and coral reef ecosystems time to recover from attacks excursionists. . The beach is on Koh Phi Phi Leh, not far from Phuket.
Angie Chan reported from Hong Kong and Hannah Beech from Bangkok. Jean-Pierre Mestanza contributed to the reportage of Phuket, Thailand.
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