Two Drown As Tourist Boat Sinks

[george]

Two drown as tourist boat sinks

SURAT THANI: -- Two people were killed yesterday when high waves hit a boat taking tourists to fish in the Gulf of Thailand.

The boat encountered rough seas and waves of up to three metres high around 20 miles off Thailand's southern Surat Thani coastline, as it made for Koh Samui last night.

Police later named the dead as Mr. Phisan Muanglai and Mr. Kaew, surname unknown.

Five other tourists on the boat were picked up this morning by local fishermen and sent to a nearby hospital.

Pol. Lt. Col. Charu Sangkhamantorn, superintendent of the Koh Samui Marine Police, blamed the incident on the failure of the boat’s owner to heed warnings from the Meteorological Department, which had said that small boats should not leave the shore due to the rough weather.

--TNA 2005-01-15