Phuket tour boat disaster morgue overflow spurs call for ‘freezer box’ donations

[rooster59]

Phuket tour boat disaster morgue overflow spurs call for ‘freezer box’ donations 

The Phuket News

 

The director of Vachira Phuket Hospital is calling for donations of freezer units to store bodies from the Phoenix tour boat disaster as the morugues at hospital on the island cannot cope with sheer number of bodies. Photo: The Phuket News / file

 

PHUKET: The mortuaries at hospitals across Phuket are being overloaded by the number of bodies recovered in the aftermath of the Phoenix tour disaster, which sank off Koh Hei, south of Phuket, amid a heavy storm on Thursday (July 5).

 

Chalermpong Sukontapol, Director of Vachira Phuket Hospital, the main government hospital in Phuket, has subsequently called for any donations of “freezer units” that may be used to store bodies as a temporary measure.

 

“The number of tourists whose bodies have already been recovered and the number of those still listed as missing totals 56 people. Our morgue cannot accommodate all those dead bodies,” Mr Chalermpong explained in a notice issued today (July 7).

 

Full story: https://www.thephuketnews.com/phuket-tour-boat-disaster-morgue-overflow-spurs-call-for-freezer-box-donations-67797.php#tj0wqgKJuWy3ObsQ.97

 

 

-- © Copyright Phuket News 2018-07-07

[jaiyen]

Why don't the Govt supply them ?  Once again they want private companies to supply equipment that the Govt doesn't have.  The PM isn't interested.

[jerry921]

Most big-chain fast food places have walk-in freezers. But I can see a few problems with that...

[cottonpusher]

Can't see why they can't rent some refrigerated containers or trailers same as they did with the tsunami 

[Jeremy50]

20 minutes ago, cottonpusher said:

Can't see why they can't rent some refrigerated containers or trailers same as they did with the tsunami 

That would be expensive, and understandably trailer owners don't want their equipment used in this way. This problem shouldn't even be an issue. Nearly every funeral uses a refrigerated temporary coffin, funeral rites can last 3 or more days for an important person, in this heat decomposition can be very rapid. Really, the authorities can't even pay for refrigerated coffins for these victims? Imagine how distressing that is for the relatives. 1 senior level official could sort it with a few phone calls.

[Darcula]

Pity this poor overburdened infrastructure. Will they accept cash instead? They could ask some taxi drivers to round up a few chinese wallets.

[4evermaat]

1 hour ago, jerry921 said:

Most big-chain fast food places have walk-in freezers. But I can see a few problems with that...

 

Thais are very superstitious.  If the word got out that a restaurant had stored dead bodies where he restaurant food was also be8ng stored, how many people would eat there? 

 

How many staff members would play along also? 

[jerry921]

1 minute ago, 4evermaat said:

 

Thais are very superstitious.  If the word got out that a restaurant had stored dead bodies where he restaurant food was also be8ng stored, how many people would eat there? 

 

How many staff members would play along also? 

Yeah, I wasn't trying to be funny. It was something I thought of, and then rejected in my own mind as a "really bad idea". Food contamination issues, for example, let alone your superstition angle. And how would you feel if you asked where your loved one was and they said "Right down the street, 'round the corner, and up a block to the Micky Dees". Like I said, a really bad idea. The problem is most freezers they find are going to be for food.

[nasa123]

Simpel solution, charter a refrigerator vessel. Mooring in port Chalong as a mortarium. And keep it there for the rest of this season.
 

[kannot]

50 dead, not much coverage worldwide or here ,pretty sickening, no wall to wall, blow  by blow second by second accounts here, stick em in that submarine youve got PM,

Tired of the craving for every last scrap they can milk out of the caves inc Thai Visa why not leave them alone to get everything done then when youve got some facts comment, the amount of rumour speculation and "demand" for news, the worlds gone mad.

 

[happy chappie]

I would of thought it was up to the insurance company and the boat owners to fund all of this problem.

[coulson]

11 hours ago, nasa123 said:

Simpel solution, charter a refrigerator vessel. Mooring in port Chalong as a mortarium. And keep it there for the rest of this season.
 

Yeah, put them on a boat.

 

That would be ideal.

[jerry921]

1 minute ago, coulson said:

Yeah, put them on a boat.

 

That would be ideal.

just goes to show that when dreaming up schemes for handling dead bodies it's really easy to come up with really bad ideas.

[Vacuum]

15 hours ago, jerry921 said:

Most big-chain fast food places have walk-in freezers. But I can see a few problems with that...

All mom&pop type of shops have ice boxes outside.

[Happyman58]

15 hours ago, jerry921 said:

Most big-chain fast food places have walk-in freezers. But I can see a few problems with that...

Dont tempt the Thais on that one 

[madmitch]

6 hours ago, happy chappie said:

I would of thought it was up to the insurance company and the boat owners to fund all of this problem.

Certainly not the insurers. Cost of storage of dead bodies is not covered under an accident or third party liability policy as far as I know.

[Happyman58]

6 hours ago, happy chappie said:

I would of thought it was up to the insurance company and the boat owners to fund all of this problem.

Get out The boat owners have done their stuff and walked away They gave compensation big deal Where is that courageous Deputy Pm who was going t have a piece of the owners and captain. He prob found out the owners are big donators to keep the junta in power. What is the old saying " Never bite the hand that feeds you"

[Oziex1]

Time to invest in a privately owned morgue, sadly in Phuket you would get a good return.