BREAKING: Phi Phi - Phuket speedboat rams fishing boat off Koh Yao, three of 40 passengers lost at sea
The Phuket News

PHUKET: At least three passengers are still unaccounted for following a collision earlier this evening between a tourist-packed speed boat and a Thai fishing boat about 4-5 nautical miles from the Koh Yao islands.

The Phuket News understands that the collision was between a speedboat owned by Seastar company, Vita 2 – full of some 40 tourists and on the return leg to Phuket from Koh Phi Phi – and a Thai fishing boat, Ouan Laak (อวนลาก). The passengers were being rescued by Thai Navy personell and emergency supporting rescue crews, with some arriving to Rassada Pier at 6pm.

The Phuket News also understands that rescued passengers are all being brought back to Rassada Pier.

The Phuket News will update this page as more details become available.

UPDATE: Of the total 46 passengers affected, 37 are a mix of Chinese, Europe and Korean tourists, four are Thai boat crew / skippers, two are tour guides, one is a photographer and the two tourists who are still missing are thought to be Koreans.

UPDATE (7pm): Police have yet to confirm the number of dead.

UPDATE (7pm): Reports surfacing that the collision happened at 4pm, but rescue teams weren't notified until 5pm.

On the scene reporting by Eakapop Thongtub, Suthicha Sirirat and Saran Mitrarat

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/breaking-phi-phi-phuket-speedboat-rams-fishing-boat-off-koh-yao-three-of-40-passengers-lost-at-sea-49224.php

-- Phuket News 2014-10-19

The only time I'm going to be any way surprised at local transport accidents nowadays is if a speedboat goes off a ravine in Phrae.

13/1 that it will happen before New Years.

RIP to those unfortunate enough to have entrusted their lives into the hands of the Thais.

I trust they all had maritime licenses?

"World Class Tourist Destination" - definately not.

Hope they are found safe ... They must be scared to death if they are still alive......

Speechless, Safety in any form in Thailand is non existent...

So so sad, I hope the missing get found..

Sad...

So very sad. Hoping to hear good news about the missing Koreans. More countries needing to upgrade their travel advisories. Prayuth, get tough today!

Did I see someone type the word safety .... Thais don't know the meaning of that word !!!

Developed country within 9 years.

"UPDATE (7pm): Reports surfacing that the collision happened at 4pm, but rescue teams weren't notified until 5pm."

In Broad Daylight.

Imbeciles.

"World Class Tourist Destination"?

Absolutely clueless...

Clowns.

How do you not see a fishing boat ? The mind boggles ! I very much doubt any of the passengers were wearing a lifejacket. These so called accidents keep happening yet nothing gets done about them.

Read elsewhere that the boat was traveling at high speed even though poor visibility due to heavy rain.

Please bring on the Thai defenders,remember Google is your friend.

Did I see someone type the word safety .... Thais don't know the meaning of that word !!!

Of course not. Just like electricity, Thai safety is different...spelled amulet.

Read elsewhere that the boat was traveling at high speed even though poor visibility due to heavy rain.

In Ao Nang today the rain was so heavy I could not see 100 meters down the road in front of me. The fog was also present on and off. I'm absolutely sure that the conditions would have been near the same out on the water only a few km from here.

If the driver was traveling at high speed there is no way he could have seen anything in front of him more than 100m...so no time to react.

Hope those lost at sea are found alive.

How do you not see a fishing boat ? The mind boggles ! I very much doubt any of the passengers were wearing a lifejacket. These so called accidents keep happening yet nothing gets done about them.

How do you not see a fishing boat? For some reason it brings this to mind:

During construction of Thai Muang Golf Course back in '93, the shaper (dozer driver) was traveling by bus full speed on the highway into Phuket on his day off and suddenly noticed the driver was perched on the very edge of the seat not paying much attention to the highway with both hands at nine o'clock on the steering wheel, his right leg stretched diagonally so his toe just reached the gas pedal.

The nervous shaper began to feel queasy observing the relative calm of all the passengers whilst the driver teetered on the fringes of control.

The shaper queried a person nearby, who saw nothing wrong with the driver. When pressed to look again at how the driver was not behind the wheel but to the side and paying little attention to the highway, the person nearby smiled and said nothing to worry about, he's just letting Buddha drive.

With that, the shaper moved to the right side rear of the bus where he could no longer see the driver, and broke immediately into a cold sweat.

True story.

I can only call these creatures murderers. What is going on in Thailand in terms of health and safety is inconceivable.

And still no one cares.

I hope the then missing are safe now.

Please bring on the Thai defenders,remember Google is your friend.

Yep, same goes for thai bashers.

Some time ago I owns a fishboat and stay in the boatlagoon, when you go out, to open water, there is speed limit of 5nm/hrs. What do you think about the speedboat guys, not only single one go's slower than 10-15 nm/hrs.

And, there is nobody who pointed out the rules. Again it will never finish. Horrible people.

With poor visibility the driver should have been traveling much slower and there should have been a lookout on the bow....2 sets of eyes. The speedboats used here are cheaply constructed and often overpowered....40 people seems like a big load too. There definitely needs to be some regulation in this area. Hopefully this incident will get the attention of the new government

A derogatory remark aimed directly at the Thai PM was removed.

There is zero tolerance for that on the forum currently.

RIP to those lost at sea and hope the injured recover.

TVF is limited to English but there is a French expression roughly translated "the more things change, the more they stay the same"

So much for my foolish hopes pinned on the General.

Again, at what point does the person in charge feel embarrassed about what's going on? It's his country.....just fix it. Stop talking so much and fix the problems.

Is there such a thing as a reversal of the Big Bang Theory,if so then Thailand will be the first place to implode.Been here 12 years,have a great wife,lovely daughter but I am begining to feel the changes are worse than my home country.Went back home for the first time in 10 years and was most pleasantly surprised.Most seemed content and civil,opposite to what is happening here.I would quite happily go back home now,so to all the poster boys who say go,well I have the satisfaction of owning a home there,enough income.It is my family here that keeps me,unlike as I suspect the posters who tell you to go home who are trapped.

Read elsewhere that the boat was traveling at high speed even though poor visibility due to heavy rain.

In Ao Nang today the rain was so heavy I could not see 100 meters down the road in front of me. The fog was also present on and off. I'm absolutely sure that the conditions would have been near the same out on the water only a few km from here.

If the driver was traveling at high speed there is no way he could have seen anything in front of him more than 100m...so no time to react.

Hope those lost at sea are found alive.

+1...It's hard to see when the water is rough and the waves are kicking up. I wasn't there so I won't comment on his driving but they do have a schedule to keep. Of course, that is not a excuse for reckless driving. I will wait for the facts to come in before making any judgments. I hope all are found OK...

Hope the lost are found safe.

Again, at what point does the person in charge feel embarrassed about what's going on? It's his country.....just fix it. Stop talking so much and fix the problems.

Embarrassed? Doesn't know the meaning of the word.

Fix it? Not likely.

Please bring on the Thai defenders,remember Google is your friend.

Yep, same goes for thai bashers.

You might be backing the wrong horse on here.

It's just keeps getting worse!

These Phi-Phi speedboat operators better be ready for a full 2 day crackdown.

Possibly 3 days if all the newspapers haven't reported on it.