Many Phuket yacht victims died despite wearing life-jackets

[rooster59]

Many Phuket yacht victims died despite wearing life-jackets

By The Thaiger & The Nation

 

Seals drivers prepare to search for bodies Saturday.

 

With the body count numbers still in flux, as the recovery mission continues, the Phuket PR Office says the official death toll is 33 tourists that have died with dozens still missing.

 

Strong winds and high waves sunk the dive yacht Phoenix, packed with mainly Chinese visitors, late on Thursday afternoon when a weather front came in from the Andaman Sea.

 

Phuket’s Governor Norapat Plodthong said rescuers had retrieved at least 32 bodies from the waters between Koh Hei and Koh Maiton while 23 others are still missing. 49 people were rescued.

 

Many victims of the accident drowned despite wearing life jackets. Many were found floating face-down – a situation life-jackets are meant to prevent. The main focus is still on the sunken Phoenix yacht wreck. Whilst the rescue operations were suspended last night they resumed again this morning at 5am.

 

The Phoenix was carrying 93 passengers and 12 crew members, was operating near Koh Hei as part of a snorkelling and swimming trip, when the incident happened.

 

Vessels from the Royal Thai Navy, coastal patrol units and private-owned boats were deployed to help comb the area for missing passengers. Scores of divers were assigned to check the sunken Phoenix yesterday in a mission that was considered a body recovery mission, not a rescue mission.

 

Searching will continue today, focussed on the Phoenix, as well as combing the sea at a radius of 10 kilometres around the accident.

 

Rear Admiral Charoenpon Kumrasee said that Navy divers had gone down to the vessel and entered one room yesterday

“In that room, the divers found about 10 dead passengers stuck inside. However it was difficult to retrieve them as the ship is about 40 metres underwater. The first batch of divers spent about 45 minutes there and the second batch followed for an additional search,” Charoenpon said.

 

Kanokkittika Krittawuttikorn, director of Tourism Authority of Thailand’s Phuket office, said she is collecting information to report to Beijing who will advise the passengers’ families. Some of the surviving tourists were still being treated in Vachira and Mission Hospitals last night while others were sent home.

 

The hospitals put out a call yesterday for Chinese translators to assist with communicating with the many patients that had been brought to the hospital after their rescue.

 

The Senereta was the second vessel that sunk on Thursday evening. It was carrying 149 passengers and sunk although no one died in the incident.

 

Tourism and Sports Minister Weerasak Kowsurat said that the families of the victims of the boat accident would get 300,000 baht from the government. The ministry has a fund to compensate the families of tourists injured or killed in accidents. Those injured would receive up to 500,000 baht each towards medical bills.Weerasak said the ministry has set up a coordination centre for efforts to help surviving tourists.

 

Weerasak said the Phoenix has a licence issued to the TC Blue Dream Company and the business has bought insurance for passengers. He said each dead victim’s family would receive 1 million baht in compensation from the insurance policy while those injured would receive 500,000 baht.

 

As a preliminary act, police have notified the captain of the Phoenix of pending charges of being reckless, causing an accident that injured and killed others. The captain was recovered, along with other passengers, from a liferaft late on Thursday afternoon.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30349539

 

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-07-07

[nausea]

I did wonder about about the life-jacket issue. As a layman I would've expected anyone wearing a life jacket in open seas to survive. I'm assuming hypothermia wouldn't be a problem in the tropics, I could be wrong though, especially at night.

[KhunBENQ]

42 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

Many victims of the accident drowned despite wearing life jackets. Many were found floating face-down – a situation life-jackets are meant to prevent.

Must have been some bargain-sale type

[taipan1949]

Two questions, were the life vests of the same quality as Thai motorcycle helmets? Did anyone make sure that the  people had the life vest on properly??

[robblok]

42 minutes ago, nausea said:

I did wonder about about the life-jacket issue. As a layman I would've expected anyone wearing a life jacket in open seas to survive. I'm assuming hypothermia wouldn't be a problem in the tropics, I could be wrong though, especially at night.

Problem is when your wearing a life jacket inside the boat.. if the boat sinks fast and water gets in you will be pushed upwards and might not be able exit the boat. 

[Anythingleft?]

Some version life jackets have hoods on them to prevent drowning by stopping water constantly covering the face from heavy swells and spray (read up on vessel fatalities from WWII)
Doubtfull that these were the type supplied, also an absolute disaster if you put the vest on before leaving the vessel, when its on it makes leaving a vessel underwater near impossible
The vests have to be worn in the correct manner and correctly fastened to be of any use in the first place
We do drills on the oil rigs each week and each week half the crew cannot put them on, tie them securely or comprehend the purpose of them....

Sent from my SM-N950F using Tapatalk

[ezzra]

The saddest part of this tragedy that no one, but no one will learn anything out what has taken place and how to avoid future disasters anywhere be it on land, air on the high seas, so life will continue to be lost for the incompetent and laziness of the people we put our safety in their hands...

[Bob12345]

There is a huge difference between life jackets, which are used for in case of disasters and even keep unconscious persons afloat with face upwards, and the floatation devices (buoyancy aid) used by snorkling boats. The latter are purely to help you float, not to keep you alive. 

 

You cannot do snorkling in a life jacket as it would be near impossible to get your face underwater.

 

The fact nobody (boat captains, journalists) knows the difference is telling, and explains where it went wrong.

[stuandjulie]

13 minutes ago, Bob12345 said:

There is a huge difference between life jackets, which are used for in case of disasters and even keep unconscious persons afloat with face upwards, and the floatation devices (buoyancy aid) used by snorkling boats. The latter are purely to help you float, not to keep you alive. 

 

You cannot do snorkling in a life jacket as it would be near impossible to get your face underwater.

 

The fact nobody (boat captains, journalists) knows the difference is telling, and explains where it went wrong.

PFD's as they are called now (personal flotation devices) come in 2 types, Buoyancy aids which are for jet ski's etc. and proper life jackets, Buoyancy aids will not keep your head above water, in fact if you are unconscious they will make you float head down and are not designed for rough water. There is an International standard and alsoThai Gov. approved ones which are rubbish and dirt cheap, you can pay more to have Solas Approved lifejackets which is the Industry standard but Thai authorities will not allow them as they do not have Thai Gov approval. Go figure.

[stevenl]

1 hour ago, KhunBENQ said:

Must have been some bargain-sale type

Many died because of the life vests, stuck inside the vessel while sinking.

[KhunBENQ]

Just now, stevenl said:

Many died because of the life vests, stuck inside the vessel while sinking.

I got that.

I am afraid that not many passengers were aware of.

[happy chappie]

1 hour ago, KhunBENQ said:

Must have been some bargain-sale type

Made in China maybe.

[happy chappie]

58 minutes ago, ezzra said:

The saddest part of this tragedy that no one, but no one will learn anything out what has taken place and how to avoid future disasters anywhere be it on land, air on the high seas, so life will continue to be lost for the incompetent and laziness of the people we put our safety in their hands...

The captain might learn went he gets life behind bars which is about a 100% chance of.

Edited July 7, 2018 by happy chappie
Spelling.

[4evermaat]

15 minutes ago, stevenl said:

Many died because of the life vests, stuck inside the vessel while sinking.

 

1 hour ago, robblok said:

Problem is when your wearing a life jacket inside the boat.. if the boat sinks fast and water gets in you will be pushed upwards and might not be able exit the boat. 

 

I thought the title was misleading.  Indeed the life vest did its job by traveling upwards to the surface.  But if you are stuck inside the vessel compartment, you are stuck inside.  You must be outside for it to work properly.  

 

Never wear the life vest while you are inside a compartment of a boat.  You put it on as you exit the compartment (to the outside) and take it back off when you enter a boat compartment.

[happy chappie]

20 minutes ago, 4evermaat said:

 

 

I thought the title was misleading.  Indeed the life vest did its job by traveling upwards to the surface.  But if you are stuck inside the vessel compartment, you are stuck inside.  You must be outside for it to work properly.  

 

Never wear the life vest while you are inside a compartment of a boat.  You put it on as you exit the compartment (to the outside) and take it back off when you enter a boat compartment.

I've been on 3 boats out here.penang,Surat Thani,phuket to krabi.each time I've stood up top spotted the life jackets and never ventured down below but maybe for the toilet.even in a taxi I sit in the front so I can see what's ahead and can grab the wheel if something goes on.i remember saying years ago to some mates.if there's one thing I do trust it's Asian pilots,they really know how to fly when it comes to a storm and turbulence.within a week or two a one to go plane crash in Phuket due to weather...I still trust them though because I don't do bus or train and have to.

[quadperfect]

2 hours ago, nausea said:

I did wonder about about the life-jacket issue. As a layman I would've expected anyone wearing a life jacket in open seas to survive. I'm assuming hypothermia wouldn't be a problem in the tropics, I could be wrong though, especially at night.

Like  i said before calling off the search so early on that first night sent many to there death from shock.

bottom line the search should have gone through the night.

I am not talking about those inside the ship. But the ones floating. I am convinced they died in the night.from exposure, fear ,exhauation from shock.

That said every report i read has conflicting information. Not one person knows whats really going on in media So maybe there was a search but i heard no helicopters.

Seconds from disaster is how life is lived here in thailand. Those who understand this moght just survive

[steelepulse]

1 hour ago, 4evermaat said:

 

 

I thought the title was misleading.  Indeed the life vest did its job by traveling upwards to the surface.  But if you are stuck inside the vessel compartment, you are stuck inside.  You must be outside for it to work properly.  

 

Never wear the life vest while you are inside a compartment of a boat.  You put it on as you exit the compartment (to the outside) and take it back off when you enter a boat compartment.

Only issue here is that most if not all of these tours require the pax to wear lifevests at all times.  You can't see any boats leaving filled with Chinese tourists without all of them donning the lifevests.

[LivinginKata]

Wife just pulled up a video from Thai social media with video from another boat alongside when people were trying to get out as boat fully sank. Quite shocking. I can't find the video to post. The caption I saw was LiveLeaks and live audio in German. These people inside had no chance at all.

[Classic Ray]

1 hour ago, happy chappie said:

I've been on 3 boats out here.penang,Surat Thani,phuket to krabi.each time I've stood up top spotted the life jackets and never ventured down below but maybe for the toilet.even in a taxi I sit in the front so I can see what's ahead and can grab the wheel if something goes on.i remember saying years ago to some mates.if there's one thing I do trust it's Asian pilots,they really know how to fly when it comes to a storm and turbulence.within a week or two a one to go plane crash in Phuket due to weather...I still trust them though because I don't do bus or train and have to.

A friend of mine died on that flight. One thing I have learned since I came to Asia is that the whole life/death mindset is different. The concept of preserving life by exercising common sense or basic health and safety principles is absent in most of the populations, with the possible exceptions of Japan and Singapore ( heavily British influenced).

 

Most people treat life, especially poor people’s lives, as expendable. Pavements/crossings etc are only used by poor people so can be neglected or ignored. Self is all-important so rules are at best advisory and made to be broken if they interrupt your lifestyle.

 

Once you realize this, it’s easier to relax into the environment, but I still find myself constantly asking why,why,why!

 

 

[LivinginKata]

7 minutes ago, Classic Ray said:

A friend of mine died on that flight. One thing I have learned since I came to Asia is that the whole life/death mindset is different. The concept of preserving life by exercising common sense or basic health and safety principles is absent in most of the populations, with the possible exceptions of Japan and Singapore ( heavily British influenced).

 

Most people treat life, especially poor people’s lives, as expendable. Pavements/crossings etc are only used by poor people so can be neglected or ignored. Self is all-important so rules are at best advisory and made to be broken if they interrupt your lifestyle.

 

Once you realize this, it’s easier to relax into the environment, but I still find myself constantly asking why,why,why!

 

 

 

 It's seems to me to be just a fatalistic approach to life. As my wife often says - what happens, happens. If live - not your time to die. If die - your time to die. Add to that the complete belief that they will be born again. Seems alien to me at first, but after 22 years with my Thai wife - I just go with the flow.  

Edited July 7, 2018 by LivinginKata
typo

[phantomfiddler]

5 hours ago, nausea said:

I did wonder about about the life-jacket issue. As a layman I would've expected anyone wearing a life jacket in open seas to survive. I'm assuming hypothermia wouldn't be a problem in the tropics, I could be wrong though, especially at night.

Many years ago I read a Ralph Nader comparison of life jackets, and only a few of them kept the wearer,s head in the upright position ?

[Jen65]

Lots of talk about "Lifejackets' and "Lifevests" .    BIG difference between a "Lifejacket"  and a "Buoyancy Aid "   !!!!!

Now , lets hear exactly what these tourist boats are equipped with !!!    

[stevenl]

4 minutes ago, Jen65 said:

Lots of talk about "Lifejackets' and "Lifevests" .    BIG difference between a "Lifejacket"  and a "Buoyancy Aid "   !!!!!

Now , lets hear exactly what these tourist boats are equipped with !!!    

Depends on the boat.

[quadperfect]

4 hours ago, LivinginKata said:

Wife just pulled up a video from Thai social media with video from another boat alongside when people were trying to get out as boat fully sank. Quite shocking. I can't find the video to post. The caption I saw was LiveLeaks and live audio in German. These people inside had no chance at all.

Sensored

[Jonmarleesco]

And the 'captain' didn't see the incoming front on any forecast?

[Jonmarleesco]

Seemingly the fitness of the lifejackets was questionable. Unfortunately, not a surprise.

[Thian]

So the lifejackets in Thailand don't do their job, let's see how long it takes before they replace them.

[Aussieroaming]

1 hour ago, Jonmarleesco said:

And the 'captain' didn't see the incoming front on any forecast?

He did, thats why he was sitting in the life raft and calling the shots from there.

[Goldieinkathu]

5 hours ago, LivinginKata said:

 

 It's seems to me to be just a fatalistic approach to life. As my wife often says - what happens, happens. If live - not your time to die. If die - your time to die. Add to that the complete belief that they will be born again. Seems alien to me at first, but after 22 years with my Thai wife - I just go with the flow.  

My main worry is if it's the pilot or the captains turn to die ??

[pattayadgw]

The lifejackets supplied / worn on these day trip vessels are not 'self-righting' type.  There was an article that i read recently from the UK saying that the 'self-righting' type jackets used worldwide on big ships don't do the job as claimed.  So the bottom line is that just because you are wearing a lifejacket doesn't mean you can't / won't drown.  Most tourists you will find have never been in the water with a life jacket on and don't know how to act if the situation arises if in water.  A short training brief / video about the proper donning of a lifejacket and it's use in water is something that should be implemented and made compulsory for all tourist boats.  I know it's not really practical to do but it could save lives.