Ferry Boat Sinks/capsizes Off Phuket

[The_Eye_Of_Sauron]

Don't have any further detail to add yet. I think it was on the way to Phang Nga

[jaidam]

Tourist boat capsizes in Phuket

PHUKET, Mar 5 (TNA) - A tourist boat, carrying more than 70 passengers, capsized in the high sea off Thailand's southern resort province of Phuket this afternoon.

The medium-sized tourist boat, named "Rung Roj", capsized while heading from Koh Yao to Laem Yoo in the province's Thalang District.

The boat was facing a strong storm during the journey, according to local journalists.

The fates of all the passengers, some of whom are believed to be foreign tourists, have yet been known.

[Pattaya_Fox]

Tourist boat capsizes in Phuket 

PHUKET, Mar 5 (TNA) - A tourist boat, carrying more than 70 passengers, capsized in the high sea off Thailand's southern resort province of Phuket this afternoon.

The medium-sized tourist boat, named "Rung Roj", capsized while heading from Koh Yao to Laem Yoo in the province's Thalang District.

The boat was facing a strong storm during the journey, according to local journalists.

The fates of all the passengers, some of whom are believed to be foreign tourists, have yet been known.

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And yet another boat sinks.

One sank on the 25th January heading for Koh Samui with loss of life.

We can only hope that the passengers and crew are safe this time.

[The_Eye_Of_Sauron]

10 confirmed fatalities and 60 missing/lost at sea.

[RDN]

It was extremely windy around 4:30 this afternoon - just before the rain came in Phuket. At my house it blew over a large potted plant, garden chairs and clothes hanger. At sea it must've been a lot worse.

It also blew about 30 cashew nut friuts off the tree out the front .

[Heng]

Yeah, windy in Bangkapi as well... temperature dropping into the upper 60's (F). Will have the servants bring the dogs and plants in as a precaution.

[snowleopard]

Ferry accident off Phuket.

Ten dead and maybe 15 missing.

Possibly some foreign tourists too.

RDN's Edit> Snowy's posts merged into existing topic.

[snowleopard]

Ferry accident off Phuket.

Ten dead and maybe 15 missing.

Possibly some foreign tourists too.

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The ferry was overloaded and carried about 70 passengers when it capsized in hard weather.Some women and girls are confirmed dead.

It was on the way from Koh Yao.

[udon]

At least 8 dead, 34 injured as Thai boat sinks

05 Mar 2005 12:55:22 GMT

Source: Reuters

BANGKOK, March 5 (Reuters) - A passenger boat carrying 50 to 60 people, mostly Thais, capsized on Saturday as it headed to the southern resort province of Phang Nga, killing at least eight people, police and rescue workers said.

About 34 passengers were injured and the rest were still missing, they said.

The boat sank in heavy winds and rains about 40 minutes after leaving the tsunami-hit resort island of Phuket bound for Ko Yao district in Phang Nga province to the north, police said.

"We have eight dead bodies and 34 injured people at hospitals now," said police Colonel Veerasin Kwanseng, who headed one of the rescue teams. "They are mostly villagers in Ko Yao and they said they saw no foreigners in the boat."

"Rescue workers are still working to search for those missing. It is not raining any more -- just waves," he said.

The southern provinces of Phuket and Phang Nga bore the brunt of the Dec. 26 tsunami in Thailand, where 5,400 people died, around half of them foreign holidaymakers.

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When will this gov't enforce their own laws of boat safety?

[sriracha john]

Phuket jinxed?

tsunami....

ferry sinking... 10 dead...many more are missing.

and earlier on the same day, bus from phuket to bangkok crashes and 10 are dead, 30 injured. Just how bad is the kharma of phuket at present?

[Thaiboxer]

Another boat had capsized off Samui during the Full Moon Party as a result of being overloaded with passengers. Stuffing 40+ drunk people into a boat that's designed to safely take no more than 25 is a recipe for disaster. This latest one in Phuket sounds like the same thing along with poor weather watching. Many of these passenger boats are not well designed or very stable.

[Lars]

Supposed to have been a long-tail designed for 30 passengers but carrying about 70...

[Thaiboxer]

Didn't know it was one of the long-tailed ones (reua hang yao). Those are like giant canoes...very unstable. Even those really big ones they use in Bangkok feel tippy when you step on the gunnels when getting in or out. A big wave hitting broadside could easily flip one over.

[RDN]

Ferry death toll rises to nine

KOH YAO: Nine people drowned when the overloaded passenger ferry Rungroj capsized and sank in heavy seas off Naka Island Saturday afternoon. One person is still missing.

Of the nine dead, five were children and three others were women.

The 13-meter vessel had left Bang Rong pier in Thalang District and was bound for Koh Yao Noi at about 3 pm when it was pummeled by waves whipped up in Saturday afternoon’s sudden rains and heavy winds.

An official at Koh Yao Hospital told the Gazette that the confirmed death toll reached nine when rescue workers this morning pulled the body of 14-year-old schoolgirl Tiparat Pinyo from the sea.

Phuket Police helicopters and vessels from the Marine Police, Customs Department and Navy as well as local fishing boats, which were first on the scene, all took part in the rescue effort.

Of the survivors, 56 of the 63 who received treatment at Koh Yao Hospital have already been released. Eleven people with serious injuries were transferred to Wachira Phuket Hospital.

A Marine Police unit salvaged the ferry yesterday. Although licensed to carry just 22 people, it was overloaded with about 70 passengers, along with 10 motorcycles and other cargo.

Koh Yao Police Station Superintendent Pol Col Weerasin Khwanseng said yesterday that ferry captain and owner Dol Rerngsumthorn had contacted the police to arrange his surrender and will face charges of reckless conduct leading to death and injury

Phuket Marine Police Inspector Pol Maj Prasert Srikunnarat told the Gazette that while some passengers were wearing life jackets, others were not.

One of the Rungroj survivors, 34-year-old Koh Yao resident Chanida Romin, told the Gazette from her hospital bed at Wachira Phuket Hospital, “It happened at around 3 pm. There were strong winds and heavy rain. I had come over to Phuket and was on my way back home.

“The captain told us not to panic. He also warned us not to all go to the same side of the boat, otherwise it could capsize. Then a woman said that we had to abandon ship, because the boat was filling up with water, but nobody believed her.

“However, after that, the captain himself was the first person to jump into the water. The crew told us to jump though the windows into the sea. By then the water was up to our knees. It was complete chaos as everybody struggled for life jackets [because there were not enough].

“Everyone managed to get off, but not everybody had a life jacket. I had one, and found myself in the water with two other people. One of them also had a life jacket but the other didn’t. The two of us could only watch as she was pulled under by a large wave. She drowned right in front of our eyes.

“We floated out there for about an hour, and I prayed to God the entire time to rescue us. Eventually we were rescued by a long-tail boat. Last night, I was up all night vomiting up sea water.

“I hope all the relevant government agencies will take action to prevent something like this from ever happening again,” she added.

The Rungroj capsizing was not the only emergency situation on Saturday afternoon.

Col Weerasin told the Gazette that the Phuket Marine Police also received a distress call from Koh Pai.

“That night, while we were working hard to search for survivors, we received a report that 70 tourists were stranded on Koh Pai. Their ferry was unable to return them to Phuket because of the storm.

“We sent a Marine Police boat to the island and were able to get them all back to Phuket safely,” he said, adding that the stranded tourists included both Thais and foreigners.

Brought to you by: The Phuket Gazette 14:55 local time (GMT +7) 

[The_Moog]

However, after that, the captain himself was the first person to jump into the water

Thought he was supposed to be the last one off.

Really, its just spineless isn't it.

[udon]

The 'captain' was a gutless bus driver before.

[sriracha john]

The fact that it was absurdedly overloaded... and that there were not enough lifejackets had nothing to do with the loss of life.... it was ALL the weather's fault:

Ferry skipper blames weather

The owner and skipper of the ferry that capsized off Phuket yesterday blamed thunderstorms and high waves for Saturday's fatal accident.

Dol Rerngsamut and his son Warakorn pleaded not guilty to charges of recklessness leading to death and injury, and that they had collaborated to permit the ferry to become overloaded with passengers at the time of accident.

Both suspects were released on bail yesterday, after police interrogated them and informed them of their alleged offences.

Pol Lt-Colonel Rahong Jaisaen, an inspector at Koh Yao police station, said police would gather more evidence before pushing ahead with charges against Dol and Warakorn.

Their ferry had the capacity to carry 20 passengers, but more than 60 people were crammed on board when it capsized halfway between Bang Rong Pier in Phuket and Koh Yao in Phang Nga on Saturday.

The accident killed nine people and injured 58 others. One person remains missing.

Phuket Marine Police retrieved the body of a female victim from the sea yesterday, and vowed to continue their search for the missing passenger, Jureerat Matchakul.

"We have been scouring the sea within five nautical miles of where the ferry sank on Saturday," a Marine Police inspector said.

Dr Jessada Jongpaiboonpattana, director of Vajira Phuket Hospital in Phuket, said one victim was in intensive care, while six others remained hospitalised. "It's another accident that the authorities should have been able to prevent," the doctor said.

Surin Thirakulpisut, who heads a marine transport office in Phuket, said his office had conducted random checks at piers on regular basis in a bid to enforce safety measures.

"We try to prevent overcrowded boats from leaving piers and encourage passengers to wear life vests. But we have only eight officials, so we cannot check every boat," he said.

[Thaiboxer]

"We try to prevent overcrowded boats from leaving piers and encourage passengers to wear life vests. But we have only eight officials, so we cannot check every boat," he said.

Here's a solution: Hire more officials and make sure they are trained on what to look for.

The captain and his son denying charges of recklessness when it's clear that these degenerate losers overloaded their boat and tried to cross open water during unstable weather...just overloading the boat is unacceptable. In their minds, more passengers=more money..safety is secondary. These people should be drawn and quartered!

[RDN]

..."We try to prevent overcrowded boats from leaving piers and encourage passengers to wear life vests. But we have only eight officials, so we cannot check every boat," he said.

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In other words: it's not our fault, you can't blame us.

....The captain and his son denying charges of recklessness when it's clear that these degenerate losers overloaded their boat and tried to cross open water during unstable weather......

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

They are guilty of "reckless endangerment" and an example should be made of them - life imprisonment. Then the other cowboy ferry boat operators might think twice about 1. overloading their boat, and 2. having insufficient life jackets.

[Thaiboxer]

They are guilty of "reckless endangerment" and an example should be made of them - life imprisonment.

That would be nice, but who knows...they may just pay off some local judge and get away with it If that turns out to be the case then the families of those victims will have to do some poetic justice to those scumbags.

[sriracha john]

Tie them down in their own boat... and fix the rudder to go only straight out to open seas in a straight line....

no wait... can't do that... their boat SANK.

[RDN]

Ferry rules crackdown sparks fears of ‘mob’

THALANG: The Marine Office today began enforcing rules barring ferries from carrying both passengers and cargo, and limiting the number of passengers per ferry on all boats operating from the Bang Rong Pier, sparking fears that ferry operators may oppose the crackdown with a mob.

The move to enforce maritime safety regulations follows the deaths of 10 people in the sinking of the ferry Rungroj off the Koh Yao islands on March 5.

Phuket Marine Office chief Surin Theerakulpisut told the Gazette today, “I believe local people will not accept [the enforcement of safety regulations]at first, but it is good for the long term and good for themselves.

“I also think that a mob might be formed over this issue, but I’m not scared and I am ready to fight for the right reasons.”

K. Surin explained that the move to enforce safety regulations has resulted in ferry operators jacking up the standard fare for the 20-kilometer trip from 50 baht to 80 baht, in order to cover fuel costs as ferries must now have fewer passengers on board.

A resident of Koh Yao Noi told the Gazette that the fare in the other direction is now as much as 100 baht per person.

“The increase in fares is because of [officers’ efforts] to protect against overloading. Many boat owners have said that having only 20-odd passengers per trip, paying 50 baht each, is not enough to cover fuel costs,” K. Surin said.

K. Surin also blamed the overloading of the Rungroj on a “mafia” that has put a limit on the number of ferries operating between Bang Rong and the Koh Yao islands.

“The Rungroj was overloaded because it was the last ferry of the day [from Phuket to Koh Yao Yai and Koh Yao Noi].

“There are not enough ferry services [to and from the Koh Yao islands], but that is not because there are not enough boats; it is because there is a ‘mafia’ controlling the number of ferries [on the route].

“If the Marine Department is unable to solve this problem, the provincial governments [of Phuket and Phang Nga] have the authority to increase the number of regular ferries [to the islands],” he added.

K. Surin explained that the decision to crack down on maritime safety followed a meeting on Friday of water transportation officials from Phuket, Phang Nga and Krabi provinces.

The meeting was chaired by Phang Nga Governor Anuwat Metheeviboonwut, who was ordered to investigate local Marine Office operations in the wake of the Rungroj disaster.

Those who attended Friday’s meeting are expected to meet again on Thursday, K. Surin added.

Brought to you by:

The Phuket Gazette

19:47 local time (GMT +7)

14 March 2005

[sriracha john]

Thank you for the update. Hope the authorities stick to their guns (so to speak) and enforce the safety rules. It is INDEED for their own good. I can empathize with the boat owner's increased fuel prices and fewer passengers allowed, but that's a whole seperate issue. Safety first.

btw RDN, on the other now-deleted thread, metrics have always kicked my American butt.....

[Sphere]

The fact that it was absurdedly overloaded... and that there were not enough lifejackets had nothing to do with the loss of life.... it was ALL the weather's fault:

Ferry skipper blames weather

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If the weather weren't so nice, there wouldn't be any tourists, and there wouldn't be any overloaded boats. So there!

[RDN]

...btw RDN, on the other now-deleted thread, metrics have always kicked my American butt..... 

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At least you guys are still allowed to use Imperial - we get arrested for it! But I'm afraid this is definitely