[ad_1]
HONG KONG – Two boats carrying tourists off Thailand capsized in waves of 16 feet near the island of Phuket, killing at least 17 people and leaving dozens of missing, said Friday. officials. The two-story Phoenix cruise ship PC Diving was carrying 105 passengers – including 93 tourists, many of whom were from China – when it capsized Thursday after leaving Koh Racha, a popular dive spot.
The second boat, the Senerita, sank Thursday off Koh Mai Thon, a small island off the coast of Phuket. There were 42 people on board, and officials said two people were missing
In all, more than 40 people were still missing on Friday from both accidents, according to the Thai Navy.
Somjing Boontham, who said that he was the captain of the Phoenix, said he urged passengers to put lifejackets while crew members were frantically lowering 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 media reported that 127 Chinese tourists were involved in the two incidents, including 37 on a boat that was working for a furniture company in Zhejiang A team of Chinese diplomats was on site
Friday morning, Helicopters, police and fishing boats were invading the area in search of survivors. "We will conduct aerial searches and send scuba divers to check inside the wrecked Phoenix ship," said Phuket Governor , Noraphat Plothong, 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 tourists
drowned in Karon Beach in Phuket.Red flags, indicating that the water was not safe to swim because of the 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 appearing in Leonardo DiCaprio's film "The Beach", was closed on 1 June by Thailand's National Parks Department to give the coastal and coral reef ecosystems time to recover. 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.
Source link
