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

[Time Traveller]

a month from now the Thai hospitals will be complaining again too many foreigners don't pay our expensive bills. Let's charge them all 1000 baht upon entry to the country. The irony is many of these medical events are caused by the thais own lack of enforcement of safety regulations.

Something that won't change no matter how much you want to charge tourists coming to thailand.

[wooloomooloo]

a month from now the Thai hospitals will be complaining again too many foreigners don't pay our expensive bills. Let's charge them all 1000 baht upon entry to the country. The irony is many of these medical events are caused by the thais own lack of enforcement of safety regulations.

Something that won't change no matter how much you want to charge tourists coming to thailand.

If you holiday abroad without appropriate travel insurance coverage then you are a complete mug. Not you personally, Time Traveller, but anyone that chances it.

Blame matters little when you're incapacitated in a foreign hospital.

Do you know how much it costs to repatriate home in an emergency?

[kiddeemak]

I remember taking the coach from Khorat to Udon once. It was packed with Thais. On the way we came across a similiarly packed coach broken down at the roadside which belonged to the same company. We took every single person from that coach, I had two people basically sat on my lap. Health and safety can be a pita back in the UK, but the Thais go to the other end of the spectrum.

Edited November 3, 2013 by kiddeemak

[Thaddeus]

My sympathies are with the relatives of the dead and injured but I have to ask:

Why would any sane Person, Tourist or Local, board a Ferry that is SO OVERLOADED?

If you go to board the thing and it looks overloaded, don't get on!

Even if you are on board and you see the thing is becoming overloaded, GET OFF! So what if the ops don't cough up a refund, much better than risking your life on the thing.

People have to learn to take some degree of responsibility for their own safety and that of their family. Honestly, some folk just simply DON'T THINK!

So you are on Koh Larn, when you board the ferry not too many people on board, but as time goes by more and more people get on board, are you going to get off? particularly if it is the last ferry back???

Quite right Basil, it isn't always that easy, even for a sane person.

I made the ferry trip between Savanakhet and Mukdahan many times before they built the Friendship bridge, when it's the last one of the day the first time you have had to catch that one, and they keep piling people on, you are stuck with the thought that they must know what they are doing.

Before you realise that they do not know what they are doing, it's already too late.

This is a tragic accident that, like so many accidents here, could have easily been prevented.

My thoughts go out to those affected.

[Time Traveller]

a month from now the Thai hospitals will be complaining again too many foreigners don't pay our expensive bills. Let's charge them all 1000 baht upon entry to the country. The irony is many of these medical events are caused by the thais own lack of enforcement of safety regulations.

Something that won't change no matter how much you want to charge tourists coming to thailand.

If you holiday abroad without appropriate travel insurance coverage then you are a complete mug. Not you personally, Time Traveller, but anyone that chances it.

Blame matters little when you're incapacitated in a foreign hospital.

Do you know how much it costs to repatriate home in an emergency?

Actually, blame matters a lot. In countries with rule of law the party responsible for an accident is liable for damages.

Thai hospitals have never repatriated foreigners and without getting into whether travellers should or should not have it, the issue is that in other countries health professionals push prevention of accidents and illness. In Thailand, the hospitals just care about the money.

Many of these incidents would be prevented simply by enforcement of laws. And consequently many of the hospitals own problems with customers not paying would disappear as well.

A person who doesn't care about wearing a helmet or getting onto a overcrowded old boat probably doesn't care too much about paying their bills either.

[wooloomooloo]

Actually, blame matters a lot.

It does now, but when you are royally screwed, then blame will be the last thing on your mind.

When my battered body is prone in a Thai hospital, my only concern will be getting home and good quality care in the interim.

Grow up and please endeavour to consider that travel insurance will be your failsafe when it goes belly up.

[balo]

WHY can't all passengers get a life jacket before they enter the boat ? If all the passengers has to wear a life jacket all of the victims would have been alive today .

Yes accidents waiting to happen but a simple thing like a life jacket will save lifes!!!

RIP

[little mary sunshine]

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.

[thaimlord]

Let's hope the toll doesn't rise.

I often sail over to Koh larn. No idea what could have happened. We can only wait for more news.

Have to wait for more news, Only sounds like it could have been the hourly ferry they do get packed easily carry 100+ sometimes like sardines.

I have used these boats hundreds of times over the years now at 25Bht single-pay before boarding the ferry mostly. 45 min travel time to main key (7-11) shop.

Horrific especially for kids and elderly+ non swimmers.

Non-swimmers, elderly or young, would be just fine if 1.the crew had the most basic of training, and 2. there were as many life vests as passengers.

Wonder how many crew didn't survive.

Not sure how you can figure that people would be just fine if there were a sufficient supply of life jackets. I lived there for seven years and on each boat there, generally speaking, IS a sufficient supply, the problem is that almost no-one wears them.

Not sure what you're insinuating about the crew in your last statement, but I'd venture that you don't know any more about the incident than the rest of us, so you don't know whether any of the crew acted awfully, heroically, died in the tragedy or what.

I will contact a family member later today and try to find out more from the Thai side of it anyway.

[thaimlord]

WHY can't all passengers get a life jacket before they enter the boat ? If all the passengers has to wear a life jacket all of the victims would have been alive today .

Yes accidents waiting to happen but a simple thing like a life jacket will save lifes!!!

RIP

We don't know whether all of the people would be alive if they had a life jacket or not. Sometimes the buoyancy of a jacket traps a person under a sinking craft when it flips. But yes it's a sad thing alright.

Personal responsibility needs to be taken too. Life jackets are available to anyone who wants them on the ferries, and are generally staring them right in the face in front of their seat or above them looped over the rails. People don't have to "get" a life jacket, they have to choose to wear one. There is peer pressure involved too, especially amongst the men, to NOT wear one or appear sissy. Although, as you say, enforcing a rule that everyone is obliged to wear one, might get around that.

[bangkokstick]

Sad, I was thinking that boats were safer than buses !

[Goshawk]

news report from Ch.3 here.....

[MrWorldwide]

Surprising amount of empathy for the very people that are routinely pilloried on TV - Russian and Chinese tourists in Pattaya. It it had been a charter boat comprised solely of bargirls+punters (and crewed by jetski scammers!), several here would be doing backflips - the irony is that most punters aren't stupid enough to get on any watercraft in or around Patts. Surprising what you can see from a barstool on Beach Road.

(For the chest-thumpers demanding 'action', might be time to give yourselves an uppercut - we all know it will be business as usual within days)

[tropo]

The rest of the roughly 200 people aboard were rescued.

Pol Col Suwan said the ferry was operating over its capacity of about 130 to 150 passengers. He said police were looking for the ferry driver to investigate the cause of the accident.

How are they going to know how many bodies (people) to look for if they don't know how many people are aboard?

Of course we all know what should be done - get rid of all these chunks of driftwood and replace them with real (steel) ferries of international standard. Strict numbers of passengers, life jackets for everyone and strict head counts.

Will this happen - No **** way!

Edited November 3, 2013 by tropo

[maxx58]

Last year my girlfriend and I traveled from Pattaya to Koh Larn on a ferry like this. We felt that it was seriously overcrowded and dangerous. We swore that we would never take it again. WOW!!!

Heartfelt condolences to the victims of this tragedy.

[bunuel]

Very tragic accident that was unfortunately waiting to happen.When you try to make a mass tourism destination out of an urban municipality like Pattaya with an inferior transportation infrastrcture, these are the sad but all too predictable results. Short-sighted greed and a complete absence of long term planning, as

well as a truly dangerous transportation system with no safety regulations on roads or water - these facttors are a recipe for more disasters.

Have worked and traveled all over the world, and Thailand is easily one of the most dangerous when it cones to transportattion. Like this poster, I stay at home and try to limit driving to daylight hours - like an old coach once told me, the best way to get out of trpuble is not to get iinto itt.

RIP for all the vctims of this disaster.

Let us hope the suthorities learn somethiing, though I wouldn't hold my breath.

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.

[SaiSaam]

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

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

[klubex99]

I hope they got everyone out of the water ok. I also hope when they said they will resume the search at full light, it doesn't mean that it got too dark to continue. Judging by the video, there were lots in the water still and the sun looked about 15 minutes from setting, and there is no moon at the moment. So would be pitch black out there after sundown.

Unless of course they meant search for bodies in the wreck. But then again, divers can use torches.

[webfact]

UPDATE:

Six dead as tourist ferry sinks off Thai resort

BANGKOK, November 4, 2013 (AFP) - A packed tourist ferry sank Sunday off the Thai resort of Pattaya, killing six passengers including three foreigners in the latest deadly incident to tarnish the kingdom's image as a tourism haven.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/679221-six-dead-as-tourist-ferry-sinks-off-pattaya-resort/

[slipperylobster]

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...

[bangkokpoppys]

Terrible disaster, condolences to the families grieving.

This can happen in many SE Asian countries and lets not forget what Schettino did to the Concordia in Italy shortly after scoffing some red wines and shagging a dancer.

The loading of these boats in Pattaya does not guarantee passenger safety with life jackets as you can get caught in the middle of the deck even if it is open sided.

Tourist operations although scheduled, sign posted and with websites etc. and look organized are not always safe. This includes drivers and transfer services as we well know from countless TV reports on crashes. The chances of stuff happening like this are too high to adopt a "let's try and see what happens" approach for our family.

I can only hope there is some reform to this segment if the industry that gives future tourist more surety, and the victims families here some peace that their loved ones lives resulted in something better.

[JoeThePoster]

Stand by for honest cabbie story next week.

[Cuban]

Another incident resulting in death of tourists in what was a preventable situation.

Lessons will NOT be learned.

NO positive steps will be taken by other operators, City Officials or Thailand's Tourist bodies.

Business as usual for High Season means higher prices, lower standards and a few more deaths before the New Year Road Death Toll rings in a new year - same as the old one !

[ARGUSEYE]

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.

[cbluck58]

Very sad indeed - unfortunately due to the culture of blame, far more attention will be devoted to finding a scapegoat than to the welfare of the victims and their families.

[innovator]

RIP for those who lost their lives. Prayers for those who perished, are still missing or who were hospitalized.

Tragedies strike everywhere in the world. Safety measures can significantly reduce accidents and fatalities. Sadly, on this occasion and on far too many other occasions, safety wasn't nearly good enough to prevent this accident. Also, packing too many people and supplies on board is a gross negligent act and in this case, it may have led to this tragic ending, along with other related maintenance issues.

I have been on those boats as well in the past and all of my journeys were safe and enjoyable. Maybe it was just a matter of time before this type of accident occurred, but I am sure that if you calculated the probability of one of those ferries sinking flipping over against the total number of daily/yearly trips made, that the actual number of similar accidents would be quite low over the years.

Maybe the folks at the top will take some aggressive safety measures to reduce the likelihood of future accidents. Here's to wishful and positive thinking. Let's give the authorities a chance to take some immediate action now! In the interim period, maybe it would be prudent to shut down these trips until enhanced safety measures and training occur. Just know that just as in life in general, we all take risks. Nobody can predict exactly when an accident will occur, but only that it is likely to occur eventually. A very sad day and very sad event indeed.

Ride at your own risk! Safety is not the first priority here. Go enjoy, but understand that due to lack of safety and training as well as profit motives, that the risks of participating in these types of outings is much greater than if there were better trainings and safety measures in place. At the end of the day, it is impossible to completely eliminate all risks.

[tropo]

, it is impossible to completely eliminate all risks.

Maybe not, but it's not like anyone here is even trying. Thai people don't seem too concerned about risks.

[Colabamumbai]

My condolences to everyone. For Those of you thinking of coming to Thailand, please don't, for your own safety.

[thaimlord]

I wish people would stop saying things like that too, but they won't because they're idiots, and you and I can't change them, or even ignore them unfortunately. Now here's an idea.

MODERATORS: How about a facility for us to selectively block seeing the postings of users on the forum. I'd even pay a certain amount for that 'upgrade'.

Easy done.

Click the drop down box next to your user name in the top right hand corner of the page - then click "Manage Ignore Prefs" and knock yourself out. Ignore anyone you want. I'm not sure if there's a limit. You can hide their posts and PMs.

Hi @tropo

Thanks for that. Not quite a complete solution as I guess I still have to see gruber and other twits in quoted messages, but it's a damned good start.

Thanks again.

TL

[Melonade]

only 6 weeks since another (?) went up in flames.

http://www.pattayadailynews.com/en/2013/08/19/shocking-local-boat-in-pattaya-caught-on-flames-in-the-ocean/