At least thirteen drowned and several missing in boat accident in Chao Phraya river

[geriatrickid]

12 minutes ago, bark said:

Ok, so  Foreigners died. They matter more then Thai people ?

 

 

Yes. They bring money. Money matters more than human lives. Why else would the boat have been stuffed beyond its capacity?

[masuk]

12 hours ago, coma said:

Amazing how, by looking at the pic, that 13 people could drowned when the boat is only semi submerged and only a few metres from the bank. 

If you can't swim, you've had it.   So few in Thailand are swimmers.

At a recent Expat meeting in Chiang Mai, Rotary Intl told us that 1500 children drown each year. (they're raising money to run swimming programs).

That is a tragic figure.

 

[webfact]

Death toll of Ayutthaya boat accident rises to 15

The Nation 

 

AYUTTHAYA: -- A person injured in the Sunday boat accident on Chao Phraya river in Ayutthaya died at a hospital, raising the death toll of the tragedy to 15, the authorities said Monday morning.

 

Full story: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/Death-toll-of-Ayutthaya-boat-accident-rises-to-15-30295651.html

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2016-09-19

[gk10002000]

52 minutes ago, ratcatcher said:

IMHO opinion the speed at which the vessel was traveling and no horn or whistle blowing alerting other people and  vessels to a potential problem. Why did the captain flee the scene?

I am told that captains and bus drivers and most other Thai operators flee the scene because they are worried about mob justice or what the crowds may do. I can understand that.  No doubt some, not all were drunk or on drugs and didn't want that to be proven.  But I have never ever heard of a single one of them being prosecuted for leaving the scene.

[williamgeorgeallen]

13 hours ago, coma said:

Amazing how, by looking at the pic, that 13 people could drowned when the boat is only semi submerged and only a few metres from the bank. 

was watching this on the news this morning. not only what you said but the boat went down fairly slowly as well. it did look like some people were trying to swim for the shore but the current and shear volume of water flowing may have been too much for a poor swimmer, hence many bodies missing. dont think anyone would have died if they just stayed on the boat to be picked up.

[Minnehaha]

12 hours ago, guzzi850m2 said:

You don't want to wear one if you sits inside a boat/ship, the buoyancy will make it impossible to swim out.

 

When I sail with those ferries anywhere in SEA, I sit outside or near an exit. As a professional seaman for over 30 years I am shocked about the state of the ferries I seen.

 

The state of the boat/ship more often than not reflects the professionalism of the crew. 

 

I have the same approach. Always sit up top and near the rear. So I can see what is going on and jump if I want to. I can swim very well and trust this fist. If there is a life preserver, I have that nearby as well. 

[brownknees]

Looks like the current was to much and he was to far over to the right.Also looks like the water was to near the lower deck and it just rushed in .Could it be there were to many on board?

[atyclb]

condolences first and foremost.  they dont learn and never will. (safety in general, boats, cars, buses, motorbikes)

[shirtless]

There are no safety standard the boat should not have been on this river and passengers should have been wearing life jackets.

[Doc46]

Looks like an other case of an incompetent operator/captain for the conditions of the river.He should be in jail for a few lifetime  sentences.

Edited September 19, 2016 by Doc46

[scorecard]

13 hours ago, ratcatcher said:

If they were unfortunate enough to have been below deck under water not surprising and the current is quite strong too.

 

Further, I wonder how strong the keel / overall structure was and how hard it hit the 'dike'.

 

Is it possible the keel / structure was simply not strong enough and broke easily on any impact?

 

Ultimately, were the plans for the structure approved before the ferry was built? Was the completed ferry approved for use?  

[guzzi850m2]

The boat/ferry is approved for 50 passengers but was reportedly carrying about 150, so app 3 times overloaded which is crazy and will compromise the ferry's stability and much lower in the water than designed. I would have walked away if I saw that and was about to board but many people don't know about these things and it ends in tragedy.  

 

When I lived on a Danish Island many moons ago, I noticed that the Mate was always standing at the ramp with a push bottom counter, counting the passengers.

 

One time during high season, he stopped the boarding and told the unhappy passengers that they would have to wait for the next ferry as this one is at max allowed capacity and he was very firm about it so they all had to go back, many mumbling to themselves, ha-ha.

[landslide]

1 hour ago, Thian said:

Those boats drove much faster than what i see here on the river.

 

And where did that jetski go? Did he go help them?

 

Yes the boat was overloaded i assume, no time to get a lifevest at all. IT's the same though at the Chaopraya passengerboats, if you stand in the middle there's no way you can run to the back to get a lifevest.

 

Of course the Thai won't learn anything from this (again)....so sad....And i doubt if the captain was qualified (and sober) or even old enough to drive a boat full of passengers.

 

Last week we took a tour at a big Watt in BKK, they used tricycles for that with drivers from 12-13 years old..the boy drove very fast and i had to duck for lowhanging tree's all the time or i would be missing my head right now.

The captain was 68 years old, according to the article in the Nation.  The question is, was he on the bridge at the time of the accident?   He has not been found yet.

Edited September 19, 2016 by landslide

[saminoz]

Didn't capsize, looks like it hit bottom very hard and sank incredibly quickly.

Ridiculous.

[flyingdoc]

Tragic.  Despite comments, it is always worth learning to swim as early as possible in life.  RIP to all those who lost their lives.

[Beats56]

This boat was overloaded. Licensed to carry 50 passengers. There were well over 100. Another post said 150. When the boat hit the pier most ran to one side causing the boat to list to one side. They just don't follow rules here. And they aren't enforced. When I was on a boat to go to Samet the only one wearing a life vest was my four year old son. Both myself and GF are strong swimmers. Amazing how my can't swim here.

[samuibeachcomber]

13 hours ago, otherstuff1957 said:

It is absolutely shocking how few people in Thailand know how to swim.  While I realize that the current might have been fairly  strong there, I'm fairly sure that any half-way trained swimmer could manage to paddle to within grabbing distance of the river bank.

 

A strong swimmer, like myself, could easily have swum out to the boat and towed people back to shore.  I didn't see any of the crowd on the shore trying to do that!

 

maybe they were trapped below deck and not easy to find a way out.

[iphototjes]

Horrible. When I go on these boats, the crew always tries to make me sit somewhere. But I stay on the back in the open so I can jump whenever I don't like what is happening.

[samuibeachcomber]

1 hour ago, OnTheRun said:

 

 

The boat sank in a matter of seconds totally engulfing the lower deck, no surprise the death toll was so high, it was also travelling far to fast. RIP to those who perished.

 

very fast current,boat travelling too fast,lost control,hit the concrete siding.boat probably poorly maintained and too many people on board.recipe for disaster.

[natway09]

Accidents like this can happen anywhere.

Most of the poor sods who lost their lives would have been down below, got disorientated  & forgot where the  the stairway(s)

are, panicked & drowned. terrible loss of life & a horrible way to go

[spidermike007]

This incident is an abomination. These boats are so antiquated, and funky, and outdated. The fact that the government has not insisted they be replaced, means they are at least partially responsible for this accident. The tide looks like it was very powerful. Anyone who is not a competent swimmer should always wear a life vest, when out on the water. It is just common sense. This happened within a couple of meters of the shore. I suppose many might have been below deck? Do these boats even have a below deck area? 

 

Many of these boats do not have an adequate supply of life vests, and they are not prominently displayed. One can only hope the captain, and the owner of the company spend the rest of their lives in prison for this catastrophe. The boat appears to have been going too fast, for the approach. 

[Grubster]

14 hours ago, coma said:

Amazing how, by looking at the pic, that 13 people could drowned when the boat is only semi submerged and only a few metres from the bank. 

They probably got thrown off the front at impact into the strong current, no chance for a non swimmer.

[nauseus]

Looks like the boat went too far too the right from near mid-channel for whatever reason and then hit submerged obstruction (or even the artificial concrete banking itself) resulting in a hole in the bow, followed by rapid sinking. Good steerage difficult in that strong tail-current but that should have been allowed for by the captain!! Probably overloaded (as usual) but looks like stability probably not the main issue. Poor river-craft, very sad, and very avoidable. When I first saw this I thought it must have happened in the dark but no!  RIP those poor people.

[maoro2013]

The heading did say the boat capsized, although I do not see evidence of this elsewhere in pictures or the story.

[mesterm]

Tragic.

[Grubster]

I have done a lot of boating in rivers. I would never try to navigate a boat that size down a current that strong. Money talks while common sense walks. The captain obviously didn't have enough engine power to keep the boat on course.

[webfact]

Death toll in boat accident rises to 15, and a dozen still missing

 

 

AYUTTHAYA: -- Death toll from yesterday boat accident in Chao Phraya river rose to 15 as the critical injured victim died early Monday at Ayutthaya hospital.

 

The latest victim died at 6.30 am today was identified as Mrs Suvimol Bunyarak, 52.

 

Fourteen people are still at the hospital, six  in critical condition, and 11 others are still missing.

 

Search continued this morning inside the partly sunken double deck boat, Sombat Mongkolthai Tabtim, but divers reported no additional bodies of the victims were trapped inside the submerged glass window level of the boat.

 

Divers reported strong current, forcing authorities to not salvage the sunken boat this morning, but merely tied it to the shore to prevent being swept by the current.

 

However search continued five kilometres downstream along the river from Ayutthaya as some 11 are still missing. The search will expand longer distance if no body was found along both banks of the river.

 

The cause of the accident was not yet established as witnesses reported different stories.

 

Annob Kudiphand, one of the passengers on the boat, said the boat swerved to avoid hitting a sand tug boat and crashed into a pole of a pier in front of the temple.

 

Full story: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/death-toll-boat-accident-rises-15-dozen-still-missing/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2016-09-19

[recom273]

Does make you wonder .. Most Thais don't know how to swim because they aren't taught as kids ( admittedly the lack of public pools )

 

Yet, they will do so many other pointless activities at school sports days like running backwards with an aubergine tied on a bit of string between their legs.

[AsianExport]

11 hours ago, roo860 said:

Most can't swim.

 

 

Yes, they are so ridiculous, maybe someday they will feel like to learn something else but making somtum...

 

 

[cumgranosalum]

37 minutes ago, maoro2013 said:

The heading did say the boat capsized, although I do not see evidence of this elsewhere in pictures or the story.

so what are you proposing?