Tourist killed as diver boat sinks off Thai island

[NBT TV Phuket]

There are initial reports coming in of another boat accident at about 1pm today involving a diving boat company based in Phuket that sunk near Koh Bida Nok & Phi Phi islands, with possibly one death.

Cannot yet contact company, but if anyone has first hand info photos or video please contact [email protected] this afternoon.

[tom yum goong]

yikes, hope everyone is safely rescued.

going on a dive trip tomorrow

[Rajah]

A boat carrying about 60 foreign tourists sank on Tuesday afternoon in Krabi Province, killing an Israeli passenger.

The King Fisher boat, which was carrying a group of scuba divers sank around the Lohtama Gulf at approximately 1 pm.

According to Krabi governor Siwa Sirisaowalak, 30-year-old tourist Dema Catcher died from in the mishap. Authorities were able to save 55 tourists and brought them to shore. The mishap was believed to have been caused by a heavy storm.

Bangkok Post

[Mid]

Two Israelis injured as Thai ferry sinks

Sep 4, 2007 12:28 | Updated Sep 4, 2007 12:28

By JPOST.COM STAFF

Two Israelis were injured Tuesday after a ferry carrying dozens of tourists on their way from Maya Bay to Kohpipi in Thailand sunk about a kilometer from the coast, apparently due to a technical failure.

Emergency services were summoned to the scene and were rescuing survivors from the sea. The Foreign Ministry reported that, in total, 37 Israelis were rescued.

The Foreign Ministry said that one of the Israeli casualties, who was on the deck of the ferry when it sunk, was in life-threatening condition.

The ministry was closely following developments and was in contact with the Thai authorities.

Also, the Israeli Consul in Thailand was sent to the scene of the disaster

jpost.com

[chinthee]

Time to debate ferry safety there again?

[Mid]

the definition of technical failure will be interesting .............................

[chinthee]

the definition of technical failure will be interesting .............................

I think it means "technically bad" decision making again.

[Mid]

Israeli killed as diver boat sinks off Thai island

04 Sep 2007 09:40:05 GMT

Source: Reuters

BANGKOK, Sep 4 (Reuters) - A boat carrying nearly 60 foreign divers back from a Thai island featuring in the Hollywood film "The Beach" sank on Tuesday, killing one Israeli and injuring two, Thai officials said.

Both injured victims were men, one of whom was cut on both legs by the propeller, a nurse at a hospital emergency unit told Reuters. The "Dream Catcher" sank a mile off Phi Phi Island in the Andaman Sea on its return from a diving trip for tourists, mainly Israelis and South Koreans, cut short by a heavy rain storm, officials told Reuters by telephone.

"I was told the boat sank while it was making a turn near an island, allowing the water to flow in and sink it," Suriya Kittimonton, head of the southern marine transport authority said.

The owner of the boat told him it had a capacity of 60 passengers and 28 female and 27 male tourists and four crew were aboard when it sank, Suriya said

[Mid]

Israeli man dies as boat sinks in Thailand

04/09/2007 10:01 BANGKOK, Sept 4 (AFP)

An Israeli tourist died and another was injured Tuesday after a boat carrying 59 people capsized near the paradise resort isle of Phi Phi in southern Thailand, police said.

Thai police identified the dead man as Nissim Lugasi, 26, who was among 54 foreign tourists on the boat carrying people around Phi Phi island.

snip

africasia.com

[george]

Boat sinks in Krabi; Israeli tourist killed

KRABI: -- A boat carrying about 60 foreign tourists sank on Tuesday afternoon in Krabi Province, killing an Israeli passenger and injuring seven other tourists.

The King Fisher boat, which was carrying a group of scuba divers sank near Phi Phi island in the Andaman Sea at approximately 1 pm.

According to Krabi governor Siwa Sirisaowalak, 26-year-old tourist Nissin Lugasi died and seven others were hurt from the mishap.

Authorities were able to save 55 tourists and brought them to shore.

The mishap was believed to have been caused by rough seas.

--Bangkok Post 2007-09-04

[JimsKnight]

Andaman sea is always rough and tumble this time of the year...

RIP

[jts-khorat]

Andaman sea is always rough and tumble this time of the year...

RIP

Time to debate ferry safety there again?

- boat was built for 60 and carried 60, so was not overloaded (following the Thai law)

- one of the dead persons was cut by the propeller

- the ship was NOT a ferry (as wasn't the boat last month) but a rented tour-ship

Not really a good idea to go out at this weather, as it IS raining right outside my window. But from the safety aspect #on board# -- as from the articles -- there does not seem to be much violation.

[cibernauta]

In the middle of November the sea is also like this?

I'm going to Krabi, PhiPhi and Phuket in the middle of November.

[womble]

Andaman sea is always rough and tumble this time of the year...

RIP

Yeah can be pretty dangerous.

Particulary for fully laden speedboats.

how did the tourist die if they had lifejackets?

Edited September 4, 2007 by womble

[chinthee]

Low season is a very tough time this year for all in the tourism biz in Phuket, granted. And, you can't blame operators for going out against the known conditions. But, they should issue stern warnings to customers about it. Not sure if that's done or not. Doubt it.

[wrecker]

Real smart to go out when a heavy storm wind is expected. Does it show the incompetence of the authorities, who obviously allow this to happen, or only utmost stupidity on behalf of the company?

As long as entrepeneurs do have dollar signs in their eyes, this will go on for ever.

[TopDogger]

how did the tourist die if they had lifejackets?

Chopped up by the propeller.

[iforget]

Low season is a very tough time this year for all in the tourism biz in Phuket, granted. And, you can't blame operators for going out against the known conditions. But, they should issue stern warnings to customers about it. Not sure if that's done or not. Doubt it.

I'm told the boat was the Jor Kingfisher, Thai boat, out with 55 tourists and 4 crew on a trip from PhiPhi to Maya. At Maya, the skipper saw foul weather coming, and tried to get everyone aboard fast but at the mouth of the bay was hit by very heavy seas. The Israeli who died was trapped inside when the boat went down. So no overloading, but maybe the skipper would have done better to stay put - Maya's pretty sheltered.

[donna]

i was out there today on a dive boat, too. but, thankfully, not on the ill fated vessel.

we left in the morning and things looked great. the sea was relatively calm and the sky was looking good.

at the end of the first dive the rain started and the sea chopped up. didnt stop for the rest of the day and its still raining here on phuket now.

we were in a speedboat and were not overloaded at all.

the seas were quite big and if i did not know the boat captain already, and trust his skill, i would not have really chosen to be on the water. it took us about an hour and a half to get back from phi phi and most of that was in a huge swell.

may the deceased person rest in peace, and if there was any error on the companys part, i hope it can be resolved somehow.

[MysteryMan]

An accident remains an accident and nobody is sheltered

R.I.P.

[benw10]

yiekes?

mishap?

[bbw]

oi, we were out today, doing the same route. the weather this morning was pretty clear, although the guide warned us we might have to change the itinerary and shorten the day if it got bad. seas were pretty rough mid-day but didn't seem life threateningly rough. also we were in a smaller, brand new speed boat, a bit easier to navitage.

it's very sad (especially as the guy was only in his 20s) but accidents happen and scuba diving and getting on a boat are both inherently dangerous. compare the accident rate here to that of any other place on a voyage to voyage basis and i doubt thailand would come up higher.

here's the AFP story --

BANGKOK, Sept 4, 2007 (AFP) -

An Israeli tourist died and another was injured Tuesday after a boat carrying 59 people capsized near the paradise resort isle of Phi Phi in southern Thailand, police said.

Thai police identified the dead man as Nissim Lugasi, 26, who was among 54 foreign tourists on the boat carrying people around Phi Phi island.

"Lugasi died because his body was trapped under the roof of the boat after it was hit by huge waves and capsized at around noon (0500 GMT)," police Lieutenant Colonel Jampa Sawakhon told AFP by telephone from Krabi province.

Jampa said a 33-year-old Israeli named Adam Benebjakee was also injured in the accident, but the other passengers and the five crew were rescued.

The injured man was hospitalised in stable condition on the nearby island of Phuket, Jampa added.

Israeli ambassador Yael Rubinstein said the embassy's consul was looking into the accident, adding that about 37 Israelis were on the boat.

"They are tourists who were just doing a daily tour from one island to the others," she said.

"We are in close contact with their families," she added.

The boat's captain Suriyan Soison said the accident occurred when he tried to move the boat around the island to get out of the path of an approaching storm.

"They were swimming when the sky got so cloudy, with heavy rains expected, so I told them to get on board before the rains come," Suriyan said.

"But on the way to the other side of the island, the boat started to sink. I told them to wear life jackets but some could not get them on in time," he told AFP.

Police said the mid-sized boat was approved to carry up to 60 passengers.

The accident came just two weeks after a ferry carrying 42 Thais capsized in rough weather near Phi Phi. Everyone was rescued in that accident.

The postcard-perfect Phi Phi island, made famous in the Hollywood film "The Beach," is a jewel of Thailand's tourist industry. Ferries shuttle hundreds of people between the mainland and the island every day.

Phi Phi was devastated by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, which claimed 700 lives on the island, but it has since regained its allure for local and foreign tourists.

[jts-khorat]

i was out there today on a dive boat, too. but, thankfully, not on the ill fated vessel.

we left in the morning and things looked great. the sea was relatively calm and the sky was looking good.

at the end of the first dive the rain started and the sea chopped up. didnt stop for the rest of the day and its still raining here on phuket now.

we were in a speedboat and were not overloaded at all.

the seas were quite big and if i did not know the boat captain already, and trust his skill, i would not have really chosen to be on the water. it took us about an hour and a half to get back from phi phi and most of that was in a huge swell.

Thanks donna, puts some perspective to it. No doubt, safety standards can always be improved and in hindsight many decisions would be made differently. The last two truly seemed to be accidents.

However, if in doubt, always trust #your# instinct, if it feels wrong.

When going on a boat check if there are life vests, check up on safety procedures, check if the crew seems trustworthy, etc.

Everybody laughs or is bored when the stewardesses explain the emergency procedure on an airplane, but this knowledge would be quite vital if there is an accident, and so is safety on a ship.

[Charma]

Andaman sea is always rough and tumble this time of the year...

RIP

Time to debate ferry safety there again?

- boat was built for 60 and carried 60, so was not overloaded (following the Thai law)

- one of the dead persons was cut by the propeller

- the ship was NOT a ferry (as wasn't the boat last month) but a rented tour-ship

Not really a good idea to go out at this weather, as it IS raining right outside my window. But from the safety aspect #on board# -- as from the articles -- there does not seem to be much violation.

It appears that this boat SANK. This clearly indicates soemthing has gone very badly wrong with either the vessel or the way it was skippered. To just call it an accident and put it down to bad luck is totally the wrong approach. More of these incidents will continue to occur unless lessons are learnt and acted upon.

[LaoPo]

Asia-Pacific News

Boat sinks off Thailand's The Beach island, one tourist drowns

Sep 4, 2007, 9:22 GMT

Bangkok - Heavy rains and high waves on Tuesday sank a boat taking 59 Israeli and Canadian tourists to Thailand's Phi Phi Le Island, where the Hollywood movie The Beach was filmed, drowning one passenger and leaving another severely injured, police said.

'One tourist drowned and another was injured by the boat's propeller,' said Marine Police Lieutenant Kamornsak Bonpadoon, in a telephone interview with Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.

The diving boat sank just after noon Tuesday while taking tourists from Phi Phi Don to Maya Bay on Phi Phi Le island, about 660 kilometres south of Bangkok.

Kamornsak identified the dead man as Israeli national Nissin Lugasi, 26, and the injured man as Israeli Adam Vejakee, 33.

Thai news reports said Vejakee's legs had been severed by the boat's propeller.

Police blamed the accident on unusally rough waves caused by heavy rains. All other passengers and six Thai crew were rescued.

Phi Phi Don is favourite beach destination in Thailand, especially for divers and young adults. It was hard hit by the December 26, 2004, tsunami that washed over the island twice, killing hundreds.

Phi Phi Le, is about 1 kilometre away from Phi Phi Don, a national park. \

http://news.monstersandcritics.com/asiapac..._tourist_drowns

More news articles on this:

http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ncl=..._tourist_drowns

LaoPo

[Nataraja]

My sympathy to family, friends and those who were on the boat today.

R.I.P

[mikeyboy]

I've dived in November from Ao Nang with Aquavision Divers for the past few years and have not had any problems.

If you dive with a reputable company, they won't sail if bad weather either prevails or is forecast.

I also dived out of Phuket in November 2005 but was not impressed at all. The boat was massive and the dive decks were very crowded.

Good luck

email me if you need any more information

[animatic]

Andaman sea is always rough and tumble this time of the year...

RIP

Yeah can be pretty dangerous.

Particulary for fully laden speedboats.

how did the tourist die if they had lifejackets?

And especially with all the floatation devices readily at hand on a dive boat.

All but tow or three crew will have a dive vest feet away ready for

quick inflation even after a dive

Still 55 divers, this was no speed boat, this was a big plodding behemouth,

and some I have seen are too top heavy for my nautical tastes...

But I suspect this storm came up very quick.

Wind is a given there but unexpected severe squals

can look like something less than they are,

even 5 minutes or less before they hit.

RIP

[thaibound]

Hi Eveyone

This is my first reply been reading alot of usefull info thanks to all !

2years ago at this time I was on a boat charter, I could not believe the ocean could change so fast with a sudden storm hitting off of Coral island coast, the boat was in a very dangerous state luckly made it back to Rawai with only 20 people getting sick in the garbadge cans witch roamed from side to side as we bucked our way to shore slowly.it was quite the experience take care all, when traveling the Adaman.

Thaibound

[lazeeboy]

There are initial reports coming in of another boat accident at about 1pm today involving a diving boat company based in Phuket that sunk near Koh Bida Nok & Phi Phi islands, with possibly one death.

Cannot yet contact company, but if anyone has first hand info photos or video please contact [email protected] this afternoon.

Yeah..come on..we just have to have photos and video to see the grief and suffering..what's the matter you bunch of ghouls !

the sea is very rough down there ,the should'nt have been out there ,surely they have the weather reports at hand........