40 confirmed killed in Phuket boat accident, 16 still missing

[webfact]

40 confirmed killed in Phuket boat accident, 16 still missing

By The Nation

 

 

The Harbour Department announced at 1.26pm on Friday that 40 passengers of the ill-fated Phoenix dive boat were confirmed killed in the sinking on Thursday.

 

Rescuers continued to comb the sea around Phuket for the remaining 16 missing Chinese, said the department in a statement. Forty-nine people have been rescued, it added.

 

Most of the recovered bodies had not yet been sent ashore to be held at Vachira Phuket Hospital. Many had been found trapped inside the boat.

 

The Phoenix dive boat was carrying 105 passengers – 93 tourists and 12 boat crew and tour guides – when it sank in the Andaman Sea near Phuket on Thursday.

 

Full story: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30349478

 

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-07-06

 

[sgiandubh69]

So, severe weather warnings were clearly issued,  The operators disregarded this and the boats went out  Now 40 confirmed dead. Someone has some serious questions to answer. ‘Mai pen rai’ won’t work this time surely.

[Briggsy]

1 minute ago, sgiandubh69 said:

So, severe weather warnings were clearly issued,  The operators disregarded this and the boats went out  Now 40 confirmed dead. Someone has some serious questions to answer. ‘Mai pen rai’ won’t work this time surely.

The government has stepped in and will pay them off. The Chinese are familiar with this kind of solution.

 

Thai marine enforcement bodies have shown over decades that they are unable to regulate safety in the sector of the industry dealing with tourists (ferries, dive boats, day trips, jet skis, collisions with swimmers / surfacing divers, etc.). The accidents and fatalities keep coming with regularity, every single year, lots of them. The only thing that may work is a blanket ban by the Chinese on sending package tourists to Phuket or Thailand. In fact, I imagine the Chinese consul has already threatened this.

[gregk0543]

Thats a big boat. It must have been big waves to sink it. Something I dont think anyone had seen there before. With several boats swamped and in trouble it is more an untimely event than any negligence. They can only go on what they have experienced in the past.

[smedly]

2 minutes ago, sgiandubh69 said:

So, severe weather warnings were clearly issued,  The operators disregarded this and the boats went out  Now 40 confirmed dead. Someone has some serious questions to answer. ‘Mai pen rai’ won’t work this time surely.

Money first, safety ………………..………...what safety ?

 

Two responsibilities exist with this tragic debacle, the boat captain who decided to ignore warning and set sail fully loaded - we have the captain claiming there were 5m sized waves as though he is trying to blame the waves, sorry but that doesn't fly, you took risks disregarding safety to line your pockets.

 

The 2nd responsibility is with the authorities (who incidently have now banned boats setting out) who should have enforced a sailing ban before this tragic event - but as usual they take action after the fact - a very common occurrence here which is too late and many people are now dead because of it.

 

Those responsible for both of the above should be arrested and face severe criminal charges - it is the only way the message will get across

 

This is a massive disaster considering the death toll all of which could have been avoided

 

Yes Thailand is safe for tourists …...right ?

 

RIP 

[smedly]

8 minutes ago, Briggsy said:

The government has stepped in and will pay them off. The Chinese are familiar with this kind of solution.

 

Thai marine enforcement bodies have shown over decades that they are unable to regulate safety in the sector of the industry dealing with tourists (ferries, dive boats, day trips, jet skis, collisions with swimmers / surfacing divers, etc.). The accidents and fatalities keep coming with regularity, every single year, lots of them. The only thing that may work is a blanket ban by the Chinese on sending package tourists to Phuket or Thailand. In fact, I imagine the Chinese consul has already threatened this.

no but they can stop people smoking on an open air beach who are using ashtrays with threats of huge fines and jail time, something seriously wrong with that

[gregk0543]

You have to investigate the circumstances more. I have been on a much smaller wooden boat in the Maldives which was sailing in smooth waters all day to an island and diving and on the way back a storm blew up and it was getting a little concerning. We couldnt see where we were going even and almost ran aground.

 

I can swim well we had life jackets so I wasnt that worried even if the boat went down. But the chinese on board were praying.

 

So these boats it must have been an unusually big storm to sink them. 

[petermik]

The desire for money here far exceeds the thoughts of safety.......R.I.P. to the victims

[Classic Ray]

I hope as much international attention is paid to this incident as to the boys in the cave, to ensure disasters like this are not repeated. 

 

Dont let the world think that Chinese tourists’ lives count for less than Thai footballers.

[Jeremy50]

Don't expect this to get much news coverage for long.         R.I.P. 40+ Chinese Tourists.

[z42]

This is an absolutely dreadful tragedy. This is far more serious an incident than that in the Chiang Rai cave.

 

Yet the local and international news will barely cover it, and you can bet your bottom dollar the powers that be will do their utmost to bury the story and play down it's seriousness.

 

There are no heroes in this story, and if past tragedies are anything to go by there will be little in the way of punitive steps taken, and even less learned in terms of improving customer safety.

[Strawb]

Got on a boat to Koh Sumui years ago, following a long arduous train journey...I’d say it was 2x overloaded, I’m a strong swimmer & was a youngster so didn’t over concern myself, if it was an aircraft I would have got off before it took off !! I can Swim but not Fly,!!

[tropo]

16 minutes ago, Jeremy50 said:

Don't expect this to get much news coverage for long.         R.I.P. 40+ Chinese Tourists.

No, because world news is currently fixated on the cave survivors up north. It's really sad news at a time where the country was rejoicing.

[snoop1130]

Bodies seen in sunken ’Phoenix’ dive boat off Phuket

 

The ’Phoenix’ dive boat which sunk of Koh Hei at around 4pm yesterday (July 6) afternoon. Photo: Marine Department

 

PHUKET:-- It has been confirmed this afternoon that a number of bodies have been seen inside the sunken ‘Phoenix’ dive boat which overturned and sunk in a storm off Phuket yesterday afternoon with 105 passengers on board.

 

A report issued by AFP today (July 6) quotes Rear Admiral Charoenphon Khumrase as saying that divers had “seen over 10 bodies” floating inside the vessel.

 

“In a grisly development, divers reported seeing ‘over 10 bodies’ floating inside the hull of the submerged boat, according to Thai navy Rear Admiral Charoenphon Khumrasee, who said they would try to retrieve them later Friday,” the AFP report says.

 

Full Story: https://www.thephuketnews.com/bodies-seen-in-sunken-phoenix-dive-boat-off-phuket-67779.php#ahSJps9LksiDy6JO.97

 

-- © Copyright Phuket News 2018-7-6

[quadperfect]

Looking at the boats picture there is no way 5 meter waves overcame this boat. Something catastrophic happened.

My guess would be the engine room.Or all 100 passengers were on the leeward side and the boat blew over.

Load shifting its called.

[Briggsy]

3 hours ago, smedly said:

no but they can stop people smoking on an open air beach who are using ashtrays with threats of huge fines and jail time, something seriously wrong with that 

The difference is, of course, in the case of the beach smoking ban, the law enforcement body would be fining tourists (think no local connections, no friends in Thai high places). In the case of enforcing marine safety, the law enforcement bodies would be penalising tour companies and boat owners (think entrenched local power and friends in all the relevant places from the police to the harbourmaster's department and so on).

[Tom1959]

TO put 105 people on this boat is irresponsble!

[Andaman Al]

1 hour ago, leftorright said:

Right. Even ThaiVisa does not run the story in its main news window and, even after 40 having been confirmed dead, keeps filing it as a ‘local’ thing. Quite a remarkable choice.

 

This story is in main Thai News

 

Quote

Amulets In High Demand After Monk Prediction On Cave 13 In Chiang Rai

 

And this story is in Local Phuket only news

 

Quote

40 confirmed killed in Phuket boat accident, 16 still missing

You do a great job Thai Visa but sometimes we seem to lose perspective.

[balo]

Waves alone did not flip this ship over, maybe lack of maintenance and something happened. RIP 60 souls.

[changnaam]

25 minutes ago, Andaman Al said:

This story is in main Thai News

 

 

And this story is in Local Phuket only news

 

You do a great job Thai Visa but sometimes we seem to lose perspective.

Very good point, do you think it is perspective or more about pressure in terms of which stories need to remain quiet? 

As much as I have followed the other story this one is currently multiple times worse when you consider the loss. Poor people enjoying their holiday.

[falangjim]

4 hours ago, sgiandubh69 said:

So, severe weather warnings were clearly issued,  The operators disregarded this and the boats went out  Now 40 confirmed dead. Someone has some serious questions to answer. ‘Mai pen rai’ won’t work this time surely.

What makes you think anything will change? These preventable accidents occur annually. 

[cardinalblue]

It is weird that the first 6 stories on TV are about the cave incident. I had to come to Phuket news to find out summary and details....

 

It also won't get Thai coverage b/c it hurts the tourist image of Thailand. The Thai media will suppress it as much as possible.

 

It looks like the death total could be a high as 56 people. Missing at sea at a small known location equals only one thing...

 

Will the world cup officials offer the survivors anything? 

Edited July 6, 2018 by cardinalblue

[sanemax]

4 minutes ago, cardinalblue said:

It is weird that the first 6 stories on TV are about the cave incident. I had to come to Phuket news to find out summary and details....

 

It also won't get Thai coverage b/c it hurts the tourist image of Thailand. The Thai media will suppress it as much as possible.

 

It looks like the death total could be a high as 56 people. Missing at sea at a small known location equals only one thing...

 

Will the world cup officials offer the survivors anything? 

Although the cave incident is an on going story with various sub stories and an unknown outcome that has been going on for two weeks now

[lannarebirth]

2 hours ago, quadperfect said:

Looking at the boats picture there is no way 5 meter waves overcame this boat. Something catastrophic happened.

My guess would be the engine room.Or all 100 passengers were on the leeward side and the boat blew over.

Load shifting its called.

 

It will have been a stability issue. Negative metacentric height caused either by a condition of loading or taking on water leading to free surface effect.

[poohy]

Sad as it is   But  the cave thing as unfortunate as it is  is basically a local story

The boat deaths  should be an international one but Thai media will suppress why do think TV is not running with it ......Owned by Thai media

[brewsterbudgen]

Sad as it is   But  the cave thing as unfortunate as it is  is basically a local story
The boat deaths  should be an international one but Thai media will suppress why do think TV is not running with it ......Owned by Thai media

The cave story is far more than just a local story now - it's been a centre-piece of international news for a long time and will continue to be until there is an outcome. A boat tragedy, whether in Thailand, Philippines, or in the Med is, sadly, a not uncommon event.

Sent from my SM-A500F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[stevenl]

Just now, brewsterbudgen said:

The cave story is far more than just a local story now - it's been a centre-piece of international news for a long time and will continue to be until there is an outcome. A boat tragedy, whether in Thailand, Philippines, or in the Med is, sadly, a not uncommon event.

Sent from my SM-A500F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

On top of that, most people here on TVF are westerners and care about the western media, the victims here are Chinese, so only of marginal interest to the western world.

[Jonathan Fairfield]

Thais fear 'no chance' of more survivors from tourist boat, nearly 60 may be dead

 

Thai Rescue workers carry the body of a victim on a stretcher, after a boat capsized off the tourist island of Phuket, Thailand, July 6, 2018. REUTERS/Sooppharoek Teepapan

 

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thai rescuers deployed helicopters on Friday in a search for 29 people missing after the sinking of a boat carrying Chinese tourists, with one official saying he feared "no chance" of any more survivors, which would mean a death toll of nearly 60.

 

The confirmed death toll from the accident off the resort island of Phuket stood at 27, but the navy said divers had spotted "quite a few bodies" in the sunken vessel, the Phoenix.

 

The boat capsized in rough seas on Thursday with 105 people on board, 93 of them Chinese tourists along with 12 Thai crew and tour guides.

 

Television broadcast images of dozens of divers searching for the missing, while more rescuers waited on standby at a pier nearby. Seas were calm and skies clear on Friday.

 

"Right now, officials from the marine police and navy are helping to dive at the spot where the boat sank," Marine Police said in a statement.

 

"They are diving to a depth of about 40 metres (130 feet)."

 

A Marine Department official said there was probably "no chance" any more survivors could be found from inside the boat.

 

"A day and a night has passed," said the department's deputy director-general, Kritpetch Chaichuay.

 

Thailand is in the middle of its rainy season, which usually runs from May to October, and often generates high winds and flash storms in coastal areas, especially on its west coast on the Indian Ocean, where Phuket is located.

 

Police are investigating the incident. The boat, which went down about 7 km (5 miles) from shore, was properly registered and had not been overloaded, police said.

 

Tourist Police bureau deputy chief, Major General Surachate Hakparn, said in a post on Facebook tour operators had been warned about the severe weather.

 

"Be careful … nature is not a joke," Surachate wrote.

 

"The Tourist Police warned businesses in Phuket already to not take boats out from shore, but they violated this order by taking foreign tourists out," he said.

 

A representative of the operator of the boat, TC Blue Dream, declined to comment when contacted by Reuters.

 

'CLOSE ATTENTION'

 

Thailand has a poor record on road and boat safety. Many tour operators have complained about lax enforcement of basic safety measures, such as seatbelts in cars and lifejackets on boats.

 

Another boat sailing in the same area also capsized on Thursday but all 35 tourists, five crew and a guide on board were rescued, the Water Safety Department of the Harbour Department said.

 

The Chinese embassy in Bangkok said it had asked the Thai government to make all-out rescue efforts, and had sent a team to Phuket to help.

 

Chinese consulate staff in southern Thailand were on the scene helping its citizens, it said.

 

Chinese tourists make up the biggest number of foreign visitors to Thailand, their numbers surging in recent years, drawn by the growing popularity of the southeast Asian nation's islands.

 

In Beijing, a foreign ministry spokesman said China's top leaders, including President Xi Jinping, were paying close attention to the incident.

 

"China expresses gratitude for the active search and rescue efforts made by Thailand," the spokesman, Lu Kang, told a regular briefing.

 

(Reporting by Amy Sawitta Lefevre and Panarat Thepgumpanat; Additional reporting by Gao Liangping, Christian Shepherd and Ben Blanchard in Beijing; Editing by Clarence Fernandez, Robert Birsel)

 

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-07-06

[DrTuner]

 

That thing holds 105 passengers? Looks more suitable for a dozen or less.

[poohy]

3 minutes ago, stevenl said:

On top of that, most people here on TVF are westerners and care about the western media, the victims here are Chinese, so only of marginal interest to the western world.

Well you like me are entitled to your opinion i have worked in the travel industry both here and elsewhere so obviously my concerns are different

Whist i wish all concerned well, many other families are today grieving through no fault of their own!