Tourist boat sinks outside Pattaya - At least 5 foreigners dead, many seriously injured

[Showbags]

Police want to talk to the ferry captain to try to ascertain the cause of the accident, Col Suwan said

So they havent already? Shouldnt this of been the first person they contacted!

He swam away I believe.

Or maybe he did the honorable thing and went down with the boat.

[ajs500]

Buses, minivans, trains, cars and now boats!

How are you supposed to travel in this country??

Seems like the only way to survive is, stay home.

Hope those who died didn't suffer.

My concept and advice I give to tourists is "Never leave the hotel room"

[Naam]

Buses, minivans, trains, cars and now boats!

How are you supposed to travel in this country??

Seems like the only way to survive is, stay home.

Hope those who died didn't suffer.

My concept and advice I give to tourists is "Never leave the hotel room"

but don't use the bed and don't lie down! that's extremely dangerous. statistics prove most people die in bed or lying down.

[ajs500]

quote "In most countries..and...list of regulations"

Yes, but not in Asia.

[tenaceous]

It would be nice if just for once we had some clarity about this incident.

far to often the authorities dribble out conflicting snippets or accounts of what happened in a cynical attempt to cloud the issue and sweep it under the carpet.

LET"S HAVE SOME HONESTY for a change!

Give it a rest will you. People have been killed. This is no time to be posting such drivel. It's a major accident. Of course everyone is confused. It happens everywhere.

Very sad news. Must be horrific to get caught up in something like this.

I Totally agree Give your unwanted remarks a rest!! A tragedy has happened, Innocent people have died, others are injured, this type of incident happens all the time in other countries not just Thailand, You Know and I know Buddy that this is just another mindless attempt to bag and run down the Thais, spare a thought for the people who have been directly affected by this tragedy and in the meantime go punch a tree or something or find something else to do, you useless agro comments are unwanted, get a life!

[songhklasid]

My condolences to family of deceased,sounds to me that given the boat was overcrowded, & a problem with water ingress in the engine compartment, the natural thing for the passengers to do would be to go to the top deck, away from the rising water, resulting in stability problems with all the weight shifting vertically upwards, thus the boat rolling over, had the crew had proper training they could have kept people calm, reassured whilst radio for help,kept people downstairs as long as possible,don life jackets , just maybe lives could have been saved.

Regards songhklasid

[Rimmer]

Off topic post removed, please do not hijack the topic with events in other countries

[manarak]

So much misinformation and just wrong information in many of these

posts you wonder if people even know what they are talking about.

It costs 30B EACH WAY on these ferries, not 60B EACH WAY, it

takes at least 40 minutes to get to Koh Larn not 20 minutes. If you

don't know what you are talking about, keep your "thoughts" to

yourself....I travel to Koh Larn twice a week !!!!!!!!!!!!! Hope the guy

that posted the video will get his facts correct.

the guy who posted the video is just an SEO guy trying to earn some traffic for his Pattaya tourism website...

[POMPOUI]

:=(

Edited November 4, 2013 by POMPOUI

[coma]

6 Dead.4 Males and 2 Females. Out of these 6, 3 are foriegners and 3 are Thai. There are also 16 people injured that needed medical attention at hospital.

Still not know if the boat was overloaded. Rescue crews believe there are still around 10 people inside the hull of the boat and are hoping they can get them out alive.

Correct at 0600 hrs today.

Edited November 4, 2013 by coma

[ginjag]

Will they ever know how many are still missing ?? of course not because NO tickets are handed out for payment. ALL cash flow-no record of takings-avoidance of taxes-if the captain is an employee and staff how much money is syphoned off before the owner gets it--who knows?? If the actual captain and wife as it looks like on many boats then volume means more cash.

I will ad that at 25/30 bht a single trip is far from a rip off for the individual, BUT safety is not a priority. Better pay 50 bht and have a life jacket each-AND A SEAT-and a modern boat with safety measures -with checks regular. The licensing authorities have to take the blame in Pattaya for letting this go on for the 30 years I know of-a blind eye MUST have been the case for a long time.

Love to know who is the actual owner is. 200 passengers @ 30 bht= 6000 bht PLUS cargo charges for heavy goods carried. ONE WAY-50 mins.

A post stating 30 mins for the trip is wrong, most take 50 mins.

[manarak]

quote "In most countries..and...list of regulations"

Yes, but not in Asia.

I don't agree.

Knowing some of Thailand and some of its Laws, I would bet there are adequate safety regulations for transport, be it on rail, road or sea.

The problem is lack of enforcement and mai bpen rai attitude.

[zoza]

a few years ago I travelled on this ferry with a group of friends, every one commented on the ridiculous overcrowding on-board, as the waves got bigger the boat was threatening to capsize

my wife and her friend started praying, it was quite scary, since that day we have refused to go to any of the islands and vowed never to travel by boat in Thailand. people are crammed on these ferries until there is no standing room. I am not surprised by this "accident" and can only feel sad for the poor victims who have suffered along with the fires in nightclub sorry noodle shop victims ect ect ect when is this country going to stop these needless deaths all because of its pursuit of a few more baht. rip to the dead, and I hope a speedy recovery to those who survived.

[Jackson86]

the main problem is overcrowding, not how much to charge per person or whatsoever. For a boat of that kind, the limit should be 60 and not 100.

[mcfish]

was on the boat last weekend and we did notice that there were brand new life jackets placed over the seats and many Thais were wearing them which I had never seen before.

The GF said it was because there were so many close calls lately.

I think the new life jackets helped prevent more deaths.

[trainman34014]

I read that the UK Ambassador is pushing to teach Thailand stuff . May I respectfully suggest he starts by protecting his countrymen from a ridiculous amount of risks in LOS that can be read here every day.

You can lead a Horse to water...but you can't make it drink. Down the years many have tried to 'educate' Thai's about safety methods and so on but all advice is ignored as money is the only driving force.

As for 'protecting his countrymen from risks in Thailand ' how many do you think will take notice of any warnings ? Very few in my experience; people will go where they want to go despite the risks.

[ginjag]

was on the boat last weekend and we did notice that there were brand new life jackets placed over the seats and many Thais were wearing them which I had never seen before.

The GF said it was because there were so many close calls lately.

I think the new life jackets helped prevent more deaths.

Prevention better than cure, understand what you say though, but as a last resort only. NEWER BOATS regulations adhered to should never need life jackets.

[evadgib]

With transport-related fatalities being a weekly occurrence the first phrase that springs to mind is "Thailand..........again!"

[evadgib]

the main problem is overcrowding, not how much to charge per person or whatsoever. For a boat of that kind, the limit should be 60 and not 100.

The max no of passengers should be stenciled on the side of the boat & should correspond with the no of life jackets & spaces in lifeboats. On a recent journey to Samui I noticed the lifeboat pods were dated 2001 & didn't appear to have ever been serviced.

[yooper2001]

The minister of transportation is the worst in the world

1. 29,000 killed on Thailand roads

2. Railroad train falling off tracks every week

3.Buses being built to high that they tip over but no policing regulations

4.Airplanes running off runways

5.Now boats tipping over and no enforcement of overloading

How does this person keep the job?

He must have a photo of his boss with a goat

[i claudius]

I see The Daily Mail has this in their paper ,more good news for Pattaya tourism.

[Bagwan]

It seems not a day goes by when reading Thai Visa I don't seem some report of death to tourists in Thailand. Yes, I know a lot of tourists head to Thailand but it seems like taking a bus, train, boat, or even a plane in Thailand can be dangerous to your health. When I travel to Thailand I do not ever stop to think of what could happen - I should but I don't, I'm on holiday. I hopefully will change that attitude when I travel later this month. It does seem that there are far too many accidents like this incident with the ferry. It has happened before and will happen again IF the government does not do something about it. It is ultimately the government's most important responsibility to watch out for public safety. That's the single most important reason government is in business, the public welfare. It seems to be forgotten in Thailand and a lot of that has to do with corruption. Don't look for anything to get better anytime soon.

My condolences to the family's of those killed in the accident.

The government is doing something about it.

It's the government that fixes the fares so low that the ferry owners overload the vessels to make the crossings pay in the first place.

That's the core problem here. Government price fixing. It's the same with the buses.

Given Thai attitudes boats and buses will still be overloaded and the operating company will enjoy greater profit..

[ABCer]

I do wish that Thais are as tight arsed as they are tight lipped whenever the 'accidents' happen.

There are accidents. And there are 'accidents' waiting to happen. It is high time for Thais to realize and admit the fact.

So much emotional staff, but no facts:

* What is the official capacity of this ferry?

* How many people there were onboard?

* How is it possible that the operators 'not sure'?

* The Maritime Laws are uniform around the world. EVEN FOR THAIS!!!

* What caused the accident? Couldn't be the engine failure. Couldn't be the some lousy water pump.

* Was this ferry vessel a catamaran type? With double hull? In this case it simply couldn't turn over. Especially in calm waters.

* Even a single hull vessel can not turn over in calm waters. And the waters are calm for the last couple of weeks.

* So, what actually took place? Captain escaped... Was he Licenced?.. Was he drunk?... No matter what - the company operating the ferry is responsible.

* Maybe the answer to all mess and silence lies in the fact WHO owns the company?..

Why Thais are not saying anything? Are they hoping to sweep this under the carpet? After Russian and Chinese tourists dead? Lunacy!

Edited November 4, 2013 by ABCer

[Bagwan]

Buses, minivans, trains, cars and now boats!

How are you supposed to travel in this country??

Seems like the only way to survive is, stay home.

Hope those who died didn't suffer.

Shoe Leather Express is still the safest choice of transportation here...

Even then you face the hazards of the assault course they call pavements or get struck by a motor cycle.

[Bagwan]

Keep in mind that the captains of those boats are probably just employees of the owners of the boat!

.... And now imagine how long he would keep his job if, for example - he would refuse to take on the extra dozend passengers after the ticket sales have reached the licenced limit?

Withis DAYS the boat owners would have replaced him with a more "flexible" master.

And this is not only the case in the LOS. No doubt there will be a "crack down" now, but hindsight is 20/20.

Ah! The Nuremberg plea. I was only following orders. That didn't work for those hurling bottles of petrol about in BKK, neither should it here.

[cheshiremusicman]

I rode to Ko Larn a few weeks ago on one of these boats. They are OLD. The one I was on was grossly overloaded. We had to stand on the focsle (the front). The only place I could see life jackets was on the upper deck. I saw none on the lower deck where I was standing. There must have been 200 people on that boat. There could not have been more than half that number of life jackets, and as I said, there were none on the lower deck. That's probably why people all tried to go to the upper deck when there was a problem; they were looking for life jackets.

There is no way to tell if there are missing people unless somebody reports a friend missing. There is no record of who or how many people are on that boat.

It was just a matter of time....

In view of your statement re the age of the ship; the overcrowding; the obvious lack of life jackets; What the heck were you doing still sailing on it? You said WE in the above! were they your family? I for one would have never got on in the first place; or had it ended up being so overcrowded as you stated it was would have got off and asked for my money back - yes and pigs will fly. Maybe, all of us ought to use our brains a bit more, when we can clearly see the possible outcome of these situations.

Another very very sad and unnecessary loss of life in Thailand that should never have occurred. Respects to all who have lost loved one's and the injured.

The BBC news also mentioned that the police were looking for the 'Captain of the vessel'. Another 'name change' coming up I wouldn't wonder. I was speaking to a Thai friend a few months ago about this and he said that it was very very easy for a Thai to just disappear and reappear with a different name - how the hxxl do they manage this? Surely, there must be some records somewhere as to who owns this vessel and who is employed as crew; but then again we are in Thailand and we all know that regulations as such don't mean anything here, they just pretend that they do; can't loose FACE can we?

[Tchooptip]

Ferry sinks near Thailand's Pattaya, Russians among passengers - embassy

PATTAYA: -- A ferry with tourists has capsized in Thailand, near the beach resort city of Pattaya, Russia’s embassy in the country has confirmed to RT. At least five people have died, RIA Novosti news agency reports.

At least three of those killed are foreigners, Russia’s embassy consulate said. Their citizenships are now being established.

"There is no information on the nationality of the dead. It is known that among the injured were two Russians - a woman with a child. They were taken to hospital in the city of Pattaya,” Andrey Dvornikov, head of the consular department of the Russian embassy in Thailand, said. "Most likely there were many Russians on board,” he added.

So far, a total three Russians have been hospitilized.

The incident took place about 100 meters off the island’s Nuan Beach at about 5.30pm, the Bangkok post reports. The ferry carrying more than 50 Thai and foreign tourists was completing its last trip for the day and capsized en route to the mainland.

The report said that the ferry sank very fast and many people on the crowded boat had no chance to jump out.

At the same time, the National News Bureau of Thailand, the 12-meter long vessel was licensed to carry up to 150 people, but witnesses said that it was carrying over 200.

However, there has neither been any conformation of that nor any official reason of the accident.

-- rt.com 2013-11-03

The 12 meters long vessel...impossible, 200 passenger on a 40/42 feet boat... preposterous!

[brewsterbudgen]

I do wish that Thais are as tight arsed as they are tight lipped whenever the 'accidents' happen.

There are accidents. And there are 'accidents' waiting to happen. It is high time for Thais to realize and admit the fact.

So much emotional staff, but no facts:

* What is the official capacity of this ferry?

* How many people there were onboard?

* How is it possible that the operators 'not sure'?

* The Maritime Laws are uniform around the world. EVEN FOR THAIS!!!

* What caused the accident? Couldn't be the engine failure. Couldn't be the some lousy water pump.

* Was this ferry vessel a catamaran type? With double hull? In this case it simply couldn't turn over. Especially in calm waters.

* Even a single hull vessel can not turn over in calm waters. And the waters are calm for the last couple of weeks.

* So, what actually took place? Captain escaped... Was he Licenced?.. Was he drunk?... No matter what - the company operating the ferry is responsible.

* Maybe the answer to all mess and silence lies in the fact WHO owns the company?..

Why Thais are not saying anything? Are they hoping to sweep this under the carpet? After Russian and Chinese tourists dead? Lunacy!

The accident happened yesterday. Do you really think the facts can be established so quickly? Did the facts about the Costa Concordia emerge in a matter of hours??

[Bagwan]

Different video cuts from rescue the people of the Koh Larn ferry and from hospital:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DThJh2LcpV8

A very inappropriate video, I wonder how much the camera operator paid the hospital flunky to take video of the dead victims? I am sure the families of those shown in the video will be absolutely devastated if they see this video. Just another example of how low members of the media will stoop to try and get unique footage and how anything can be bought for the right price in Thailand.

Very unfortunate incident and easily avoided with the right safety culture.....unlikely to ever be introduced here.

RIP to those that died in this marine accident.

If the supermarkets can insist on no cameras why can't the hospitals?

[Tchooptip]

Buses, minivans, trains, cars and now boats!

How are you supposed to travel in this country??

Seems like the only way to survive is, stay home.

Hope those who died didn't suffer.

My concept and advice I give to tourists is "Never leave the hotel room"

but don't use the bed and don't lie down! that's extremely dangerous. statistics prove most people die in bed or lying down.

Naam please read your statistics with more attention, you'll see the * then report to the bottom of the page

* The statistics above concerning the 137 countries shall not apply for the towns of Phuket and Pattaya (Thailand)