Speedboats collision on Koh Samui, Thailand

[way2muchcoffee]

Surat Thani Governor Damri Boonjit said no one was killed in the

accident, which would have no impact on the tourism on Pha Ngan and

Samui islands.<br>

<br>

He said police were investigating the case.

nice to see he has his priorities right

Not " we are doing all we can to help the injured and will make certain nothing like this happens again". He would rather just infer that it will have no impact on tourism.

Indeed.

[Jimi007]

Do boats in Thailand have running lights? I can't remember ever seeing them. But it's always good to wear a lifejacket on a boat even if you are a good swimmer. You can't swim if you're knocked unconscious...

[crusty]

Sounds like the boats were overloaded, hope we have no more deaths.

I have been trying to contact a friend I think was on one of the boats, no luck yet.

Going to Had Rin is no big problem, the Harbour Department can be seen checking and counting heads on each boat at Petcharat pier. Where it all falls apart is that there is no one policing other locations and as the Harbour Department cannot be everywhere, why not make just one departure point. Again, at the other end at Had Rin there is NO ONE checking for overloaded boats and this is where everyone is fighting to get on board while they are stoned and drunk out of their minds and nearly all are sucking on cigarettes over the engines and fuel tanks at the rear of the boat.

[sunanta]

Anyone hear all the ambulances and police, It seems a tradgedy is unfolding.......

2 speedboats collide, many people in water.

as with the last accident there were no choppers or coast guard cutters to assist in the rescue....its 3rd world ambulances were there to bring revenue to there hospitals..fishermen will put nets around the wreckage hoping to retrieve something of value...there will not be an accurate body count cause nobody is sure how many people were on the boats...and sad to say, but this will not be the last accident of this kind caused by the FULL MOON PARTY.......ENJOY UR BUCKETS....

[Tropicalevo]

Anyone hear all the ambulances and police, It seems a tradgedy is unfolding.......

2 speedboats collide, many people in water.

as with the last accident there were no choppers or coast guard cutters to assist in the rescue....its 3rd world ambulances were there to bring revenue to there hospitals..fishermen will put nets around the wreckage hoping to retrieve something of value...there will not be an accurate body count cause nobody is sure how many people were on the boats...and sad to say, but this will not be the last accident of this kind caused by the FULL MOON PARTY.......ENJOY UR BUCKETS....

Come on Sunanta, why so negative?

I do not believe that there are any 'choppers' on Samuiu or KPN. They would not be able to fly in last night's weather anyway.

One of the first boats on the scene was the Marine Police.

What more would you expect? (and would you pay for it?) I think that the local services did well to get everyone to hospital safely (as far as is reported to date). Yes the hospitals are money grabbers, but they do usually save lives.

[craigt3365]

Here is a comment from Lonely Planet:

My wife and I were in a speed boat last night between Koh Samui and Koh Phangan when the accident occurred. Thankfully our speedboat wasn't involved. The weather was terrible yesterday with heavy rain, thunder and lightning. Boat crossings were temporarily suspended for 1 1/2 hours because of this. At the same time, Koh Phangan suffered a series of powercuts; we were stuck in Koh Samui and could not initially get to the party. The word is that one of the boats forgot to put its flashing light on and therefore had a head-on collision.The weather had improved when the boats were allowed to sail and visibility was good so I would not say that that was a factor.

[Chua]

Regarding the comment that the boat captains are all drinking or on drugs -- that is unsubstantiated speculation. I've never heard of any of these guys being arrested, and the cops here are quite strict about nabbing people for drug offenses. The captains never seemed drunk or high when Ive been on the boats, and if I thought they were, I'd certainly get off immediately. The operators are always sure to pass out flotation vests and everybody wears them. Granted they often run the boats very fast, but they do have running lights - but perhaps not a bright headlight (which is what would help avoid head-on collisions).

Another factor in this case was the high winds and freak downpour that hit the area last night. Normally, the boats won't run in this kind of weather, but it did come up very fast, so its seems likely the boats just got caught out at sea when the storm hit and were rushing to get to shore (bad idea to rush of course).

Agreed there should be more regulation and oversight of these boats, and probably they should set out lit up marker buoys to create 'coming' and 'going' lanes so that head on collisions can be avoided entirely. What's really even more dangerous is the loading/unloading procedures where parties who have been drinking all night have to climb down rickety wood piers to get on to wet boat rails. The staff are usually helpful and assist, but that whole procedure is another accident waiting to happen. They need proper piers, and more than just one. The waiting lines for returning boats was 90 minutes last time I was there.

[george]

Update:

Thai speedboat collision injures 33 tourists: hospitals

BANGKOK, June 27, 2010 (AFP) - Two speedboats carrying Thai and Western tourists have collided in the Gulf of Thailand injuring at least 33 people, while two were thought to be missing, hospital staff and media said Sunday.

The accident happened late Saturday night as the boats were ferrying people to and from a full moon party on a beach on Koh Phangan, a monthly event on the island that is particularly popular with thousands of Western backpackers.

Two local hospitals told AFP they had treated 33 tourists between them, with nine still in their care including five Australians, two British, one Irish and one Singaporean.

The Nation newspaper website said two people were missing and 39 were injured, two of them in a serious condition with head injuries, after the crash threw them into the sea.

-- (c) Copyright AFP 2010-06-27

[thaifrelst]

The different between a skilled trained skipper and an unskilled is that the first skipper would not leave the pier.

[leedstony]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/asia_pacific/10427064.stm

[angiud]

I've never heard of any of these guys being arrested, and the cops here are quite strict about nabbing people for drug offenses.

You talk of Thai (and Sometime Burmese) working for big Speedboat companies owned by influential people.

Make your homeworks

[My Friend Same]

Does anyone know why people go to these full moon drug parties? Is this like some kind of a rock concert or something? I never quite understood. Maybe you could equate this to the stampede at the Who concert in Cincy in 1979. Or maybe that stampede made more sense. What goes on at these moon parties anyway? and what kind of drugs are involved? We've all read about the rapes and murders that happened during them. What is the attraction?

[vinceentz]

wow, this is so strange. I took a night boat from chumphon to koh tao at 10 pm and wind guru and thai metereological site didnt mention any storm. Otherwise I wouldnt have taken the nightboat. This thunderstorm must have been ultra local as the couple of times I did wake up last night it was completely still and not a hint of a wave, and arriving early between 4 and 5 am indicated that it had been very favorable weather for sailing.

[hearditallbefore]

so, is anyone missing or not? If there are 2 missing why do they keep saying no one is dead? jeeeeeezzz

[souvenirdeparis]

washington post says " two Thaï brothers reported missing then seen on the island " .

[LaoPo]

I'm sorry for the (some serious) wounded but it could have been FAR worse....

As member Angiud said already, it's all about money and powerful people, controlling the traffic to and from Koh Phangan and in a week or so the collision will be forgotten and things will be same-same.

It's a very lucky thing that the passengers were wearing life-jackets....

I wouldn't step in one of those boats around midnight driven by young guys, not even if the sea is like a mirror

LaoPo

Edited June 27, 2010 by LaoPo

[souvenirdeparis]

@Lao Po

""I wouldn't step in one of those boats"" +full ofexcited, energetic, drunk farangs + ""around midnight driven by young guys, not even if the sea is like a mirror""

. I was within walking distance of the full moon party (in Ban Kai) two or three times but never ventured there , mostly because of the choice of music first .

[animatic]

Does anyone know why people go to these full moon drug parties? Is this like some kind of a rock concert or something? I never quite understood. Maybe you could equate this to the stampede at the Who concert in Cincy in 1979. Or maybe that stampede made more sense. What goes on at these moon parties anyway? and what kind of drugs are involved? We've all read about the rapes and murders that happened during them. What is the attraction?

First off it isn't a "Full Moon Drug Party"

It is a giant dance party, but drugs are there, maybe a subtile difference, but a real one.

There are drugs of some sort at every dance club on the planet.

Same for most rock clubs, but the draw is the music, and the drug dealers go

because they find better numbers of drunk potential customers.

Main drugs are alcohol and obsesive trans dance music.

Next comes pot, followed a good ways back by Xtasy and Yaabaa.

The last three of course are illegal:

Pot leaves mellow drunks, who just get 'tranced out on the endless groove'.

Xtacy leaves burnt out, tired and dehydrated dancers, but little trouble,

besides needing to pump fluids and take a morning after birth control pill,

Yaabaa is the main issue for crazy actions, followed closely by alcohol.

Both make people do stupid/crazy things,

and Yaabaa adds severe paranoia and likely violence.

Why to people go.

'Dance Kulture' has the FMP as one of the legendary rave nights,

sort of a must do for any serious techno dance fanatic.

It is a beach with about 6 different DJ systems running full blast next to each other across the beach.

Caught between place and it is cacaphony, nothing else, but inside the dominant area of one DJ

and you hear noghtin but what he/she feeds you.

It actually gets 'International Star DJs' Not to be confused with actual musicians....

I hate this kind of music 99 44/100% of the time,

and only was at the wind up, night before, once for other reasons,

and checked out the scene for an hour. All I needed. But this is mainly what happens.

People dance for 6-8 hours straight find their bungalow and fall over till the boat goes back.

Some too cheap or too late to book a bungalow either take the boats or fall asleep on the beach.

Considering the numbers of bodies that have gone through there, it is actually not as bad as it may seem.

Main over all health issue is hearing loss....

But not something your need go and see, unless you're a techno dance nut.

Edited June 27, 2010 by animatic

[Danny79]

Does anyone know why people go to these full moon drug parties? Is this like some kind of a rock concert or something? I never quite understood. Maybe you could equate this to the stampede at the Who concert in Cincy in 1979. Or maybe that stampede made more sense. What goes on at these moon parties anyway? and what kind of drugs are involved? We've all read about the rapes and murders that happened during them. What is the attraction?

First of all, you clearly say you know nothing about these Full Moon parties, so please don't call them drug parties as you know NOTHING about them.

Then, at Full Moon, there a different bars playing different kinds of music for the people.

From house to trance.

People come to enjoy, and just like any other big party happening anywhere in the world, there is alcohol and drugs, but does it mean that you have to call it drug parties?

As if you should call anybody drinking alcohol a murderer because it is possible they do something stupid and kill someone because of being drunk.

It is true that there isn't enough surveillance of a descent security team, it gets messy sometimes there, but also, stop expressing yourself about the party as if there are only people getting killed or raped.

I don't know where you are from, but I'm sure there are also rapes and murders happening not too far from your house.

Sorry for going off topic.

I hope that all people who got hurt in the accident will survive.

A wise advise to travelling people is to prepare better for this party.

If it looks like storm might come, leave a day early with one of the bigger boats, stay on Phangan a couple of days, have a descent rest after the Full Moon before you go back to Samui.

Honestly, I am not really surprised this kind of accidents happen, if you see how badly organised things tend to be sometimes.

[FarangKenStine]

I hope everyone is ok same same me

[angiud]

Why nobody form Samui or Phangan answer this thread?

Ah, dam_n! Everybody stay at the Thaivisa party in Bophut!!!

So bad I cannot go...

Have fun!

[Sabre]

Sounds like the boats were overloaded, hope we have no more deaths.

I have been trying to contact a friend I think was on one of the boats, no luck yet.

Going to Had Rin is no big problem, the Harbour Department can be seen checking and counting heads on each boat at Petcharat pier. Where it all falls apart is that there is no one policing other locations and as the Harbour Department cannot be everywhere, why not make just one departure point. Again, at the other end at Had Rin there is NO ONE checking for overloaded boats and this is where everyone is fighting to get on board while they are stoned and drunk out of their minds and nearly all are sucking on cigarettes over the engines and fuel tanks at the rear of the boat.

Have you ever tried lighting petrol with a lit cigarette? You can throw a lit cigarette in a bucket of petrol, and all it will do is extinguish the cigarette. I guess temperature will be an important factor, but It's not like the movies.

[lottee1000]

I took a speedboat from Samui over to the full moon party. We left in the middle of the storm, and the journey was terrifying! You presume that as they're still running it must be safe, but it wasn't. Several people were hurt just from hitting heads etc from the boats movement. Someone further up wrote that the boats where suspended for an hour, well some definitely were not!

[geriatrickid]

I took a speedboat from Samui over to the full moon party. We left in the middle of the storm, and the journey was terrifying! You presume that as they're still running it must be safe, but it wasn't. Several people were hurt just from hitting heads etc from the boats movement. Someone further up wrote that the boats where suspended for an hour, well some definitely were not!

You were fortunate, that time. In Thailand, there is limited enforcement of safety regulations, unless the vessel is operated by foreigners and even then it is sketchy.

As you were able to understand the choppy sea and weather conditions were dangerous, then you assessed the risk and willingly assumed that risk. Had an unfortunate ebent occurred, you would have accepted full responsibility for your decision to embark, right?

Edited June 27, 2010 by geriatrickid

[harrycallahan]

Does anyone know why people go to these full moon drug parties? Is this like some kind of a rock concert or something? I never quite understood. Maybe you could equate this to the stampede at the Who concert in Cincy in 1979. Or maybe that stampede made more sense. What goes on at these moon parties anyway? and what kind of drugs are involved? We've all read about the rapes and murders that happened during them. What is the attraction?

People get intoxicated and socialize and dance to music. It's been going in most civilisations for a few milleniums now. What rock have you spent your life living under?

[souvenirdeparis]

@Sabre

fumes from a tank may flame up . Why do you think you don't smoke at a gas station ?

There was this farmer where I lived, used to check his diesel tractor tank with a match, once he did same with his non-diesel car, only once .

"" Have you ever tried lighting petrol with a lit cigarette? You can throw a lit cigarette in a bucket of petrol, and all it will do is extinguish the cigarette. I guess temperature will be an important factor, but It's not like the movies""

Edited June 27, 2010 by souvenirdeparis

[Johpa]

First off it isn't a "Full Moon Drug Party"

It is a giant dance party, but drugs are there, maybe a subtile difference, but a real one.

Oh come on, there is really no substantial nor subtle difference in calling the Koh Pangan Full Moon Party a drug party where many people dance or a dance party where many people take drugs. Without the drugs there would be no internationally known monthly event whether it be in Koh Phangan, Goa, Reichoort, or countless other locations intent upon the same theme: that theme being to get intoxicated one way or another with there being at least one other readily available alternative to alcohol.

[2ge]

I am just curious, if this news going to every media. We in Slovakia have it in the main news, so all my friends are writing: &lt;deleted&gt;! What about your country?

[sirchai]

I went to the full moon party last month , it was 600 baht there and back on the speed boat, we wore life jacket, which were checked to see if they were buckeled up on the way there ...but not the way back.

Was very professional, noone had to stand on the boad a seat for all , and others had to wait for the next boat...i was surprised at how good that was.

Also they kept teling us to sit down on the way home when we wanted to do titanic style stand ups. so they arent ALL as bad as you think.

What a wonderful post. You had good luck, that's all.

My deepest condolences to those who've lost their loved ones and a speedy recovery for the injured ones.Guess you think people are able to fly back after the party, You shouldn't take too much drugs to see the truth what really happened.

[Dingojoe]

@Sabre

fumes from a tank may flame up . Why do you think you don't smoke at a gas station ?

There was this farmer where I lived, used to check his diesel tractor tank with a match, once he did same with his non-diesel car, only once .

"" Have you ever tried lighting petrol with a lit cigarette? You can throw a lit cigarette in a bucket of petrol, and all it will do is extinguish the cigarette. I guess temperature will be an important factor, but It's not like the movies""

Its not the smoldering cigarette that blows up your tank, its the flame on the cigarette lighter or matches that lights the cigarette and then the petrol fumes that blows you to hel_l. In some countrys petrol boats are banned for commercial use just for this reason. youll have a dam hard time trying to lighte diesel. So once youve has used your matches or lighter and your still alive, its probably just luck that you are alive.

Boat drivers on Samui on the whole are alot better than what they were 5 to 7 years ago, Petcherate Boats have some good drivers, some not so, but they adhere to the rules of life jackets and people being seated, it is also sometimes hard to control a drunken happy crowd. would assume one boat did not have his flashing light on, but who knows. Unfortunate as wind and waves can gust up faily quickly with out too much warning when you cant see the oncoming storm at night, they usualy pass in minutes these storms, but at night you can drive right into them sometimes.