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

[Pat in Pattaya]

15 hours ago, sharecropper said:

I don't think they were all wearing life vests.

 

You don't think.

[Jimbo2014]

Perhaps the government should be investing in safety regulators for the local ferrying business rather than buying Chinese Submarines.  Seems there is a boat flipping over every few months often with a significant death toll.  Very sad.

[Tarteso]

15 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. 

This river is very strong, have a lot of current, can imagine the elderly in chock?...many of them don't know how to swim. Cheers

[webfact]

Death toll in river ferry accident rises to 18, search goes on

By Chayanit Itthipongmaetee, Staff Reporter -

 

Rescue workers at the scene on Sunday night.

 

AYUTTHAYA — Rescue workers pulled three more bodies from the Chao Phraya River on Monday morning as they continued searching for missing passengers from yesterday’s boat accident.

 

As of Monday morning, 18 people were confirmed dead, 45 injured and nine still missing after a two-level vessel carrying more than 100 passengers crashed into a concrete berm at Wat Sanamchai and then sank late Sunday afternoon.

 

Full story: http://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/crimecourtscalamity/calamity/2016/09/19/death-toll-river-ferry-accident-rises-18-search-goes/

 

-- © Copyright Khaosod English 2016-09-19

[canuckamuck]

40 minutes ago, Pat in Pattaya said:

 

You don't think.

I would say that anyone caught below decks with a life jacket on would have been in serious trouble when the lower deck flooded. Life jackets would have pinned them to the ceiling.

[katatonic]

Watching the full version of the video showing the boat passing observers on the river bank, another ferry passed very quickly just in front (causing laughter from the observers who videoed the bow wave hitting the embankment), with another just behind. Highly likely they were racing each other to get to the disembarkation point first and obviously going far too quickly. The one that sank was far larger and less manoeuvrable than the other two, so when it had to alter course for the tug that 'unexpectedly' appeared in front, it veered too close to the bend and the far faster current there just pushed it into the bank. It would have violently thrown passengers to starboard exacerbating the initial list from hitting the concrete slope and water just flooded in sinking it in seconds. Those on the lower deck stood little chance, swimmers or not. Very tragic indeed.

[elgordo38]

16 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. 

Maybe they did a Wrong Way Corrigan. Yes it seems impossible even for non swimmers. Panic does strange things to people. I imagine some were trampled in the process. Were the boats overloaded possibly? Another flavor of the month for TAT.

[tgeezer]

Most people who have experience of underwater escape training won't fine the death toll particularly high considering how many people could have been sitting on the lower deck. From the smartphone video It took about twenty seconds for the roof to come level with the surface of the water. Look at your watch and imagine it, you are sitting in side so don't know what is going on, you would have felt the bump, but these boats bump piers all the time, 5 secs. someone shouts, people are always shouting, then you realise something is wrong you stand up, 10secs. so does everyone else, then your feet are getting wet, panic, 12secs. Pushing and shoving, which way to go? the water rises you are treading water, 15secs. light on your feet you can't make any progress for the last few seconds you are either free or trapped, helpless as the roof comes down and forces you under water, you drown.
You didn't need a life jacket.



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[elgordo38]

1 minute ago, tgeezer said:

Most people who have experience of underwater escape training won't fine the death toll particularly high considering how many people could have been sitting on the lower deck. From the smartphone video It took about twenty seconds for the roof to come level with the surface of the water. Look at your watch and imagine it, you are sitting in side so don't know what is going on, you would have felt the bump, but these boats bump piers all the time, 5 secs. someone shouts, people are always shouting, then you realise something is wrong you stand up, 10secs. so does everyone else, then your feet are getting wet, panic, 12secs. Pushing and shoving, which way to go? the water rises you are treading water, 15secs. light on your feet you can't make any progress for the last few seconds you are either free or trapped, helpless as the roof comes down and forces you under water, you drown.
You didn't need a life jacket.



Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect

Thanks for injecting some common sense reasoning. 

[KBsinter]

Jesus, as soon as 2 seconds on the video Iknew he"s going to fast Tragic, tragic. 

[CaptHaddock]

4 hours ago, gk10002000 said:

going fast, over loaded, strong current.  boat did not or could not make the turn and hit straight on to the concrete dike.  Pilot not paying attention?  Steering not working?  looks like it started going down bow first, suggesting to me that is where the main damage and massive water leak was.  Post analysis will show

 

It looks like the boat was going with the current, not against it.  If that is indeed the case then the boat has to go faster than the current itself to be able to steer.  So the speed of the boat would have been unavoidable.

[Jackin1960]

Again!!

[scorecard]

Tragic indeed and raises multiple serious questions.

 

My comment is in regard to the rescue photo:

 

- Why so many rescue people without a life jacked - ill prepared?

 

- Is there a local properly trained and equipped water rescue unit at strategic locations along all waterways / beach locations etc?

 

- Why are they using a boat with a long drive to the propellor, the nearby water may well have people swimming or diving as part of the rescue operation - I don't want to think about what further tragedy could happen if the boat engine was started and the spinning propeller immersed  in the water.  

 

- I wonder if proper safety procedures are in place in terms of the safety for the divers and the other rescue people?

Edited September 19, 2016 by scorecard

[impulse]

If I had a kid (kids) in Thailand, I'd buy appropriately sized life jackets for them and take them any time we went on the water.  Boats here seem to be that dangerous.

 

The (few easily accessible) jackets I've seen on the boats wouldn't fit a kid, and as fast as these things happen, if you're not wearing one when it starts, you're not going to be wearing one when it's over.  And that goes double for the kiddo's.  Pre-adjust it for the kid at a minimum.  Or, make a game out of wearing it.   Then, of course it's critical to keep yourself in a location where you (and your loved ones) can make a quick exit over the side.

 

No kids here myself, but I still have some loaners that I keep just in case, and always when I'm taking the truck on a ferry.  You can order them from Lazada in various sizes for 400 -450 baht delivered.  That's where I got my most recent ones in different sizes.  

 

For these accidents, I wonder if having a pile of flotation cushions wouldn't be a good adder to life jackets (if not a better idea altogether)?  They don't have to be put on or adjusted.  Just grab them and hold on.

 

Edited September 19, 2016 by impulse

[timewilltell]

If a boat service is willing to take three times the number of customers that the boat is designed and registered for then these types of accident are likely to have devastating consequences.  If the Thai authorities cannot be bothered to regulate and check such breaches then they are also too culpable.  But as Gen. Prayut considers Thailand is practically a First World country already I guess this, just one of a million 'minor' problems that need to be solved to achieve First World status will soon all be resolved with a few words and sweep of a pen.

[elgordo38]

22 minutes ago, scorecard said:

Tragic indeed and raises multiple serious questions.

 

My comment is in regard to the rescue photo:

 

- Why so many rescue people without a life jacked - ill prepared?

 

- Is there a local properly trained and equipped water rescue unit at strategic locations along all waterways / beach locations etc?

 

- Why are they using a boat with a long drive to the propellor, the nearby water may well have people swimming or diving as part of the rescue operation - I don't want to think about what further tragedy could happen if the boat engine was started and the spinning propeller immersed  in the water.  

Not to worry TAT will sort it all out and chastise the owner of the boat captain and crew. New rules will be rolled out. Then they will announce with much fan  fare that the use of tourist boats here in Thailand is perfectly safe. Ho Hum. 

[thaibeachlovers]

17 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.

The OP says the boat went down slowly. Either that is wrong and it sank quickly, or they panicked and couldn't get out the exit for the crush. I have been on that sort of boat and the lower level windows don't always open.

The other suggestion is that they got out and were swept away by the current.

[scorecard]

34 minutes ago, impulse said:

If I had a kid (kids) in Thailand, I'd buy appropriately sized life jackets for them and take them any time we went on the water.  Boats here seem to be that dangerous.

 

The (few easily accessible) jackets I've seen on the boats wouldn't fit a kid, and as fast as these things happen, if you're not wearing one when it starts, you're not going to be wearing one when it's over.  And that goes double for the kiddo's.  Pre-adjust it for the kid at a minimum.  Or, make a game out of wearing it.   Then, of course it's critical to keep yourself in a location where you (and your loved ones) can make a quick exit over the side.

 

No kids here myself, but I still have some loaners that I keep just in case, and always when I'm taking the truck on a ferry.  You can order them from Lazada in various sizes for 400 -450 baht delivered.  That's where I got my most recent ones in different sizes.  

 

For these accidents, I wonder if having a pile of flotation cushions wouldn't be a good adder to life jackets (if not a better idea altogether)?  They don't have to be put on or adjusted.  Just grab them and hold on.

 

 

Good points. I thank god that my Thai son and his Thai wife are extremely are of and careful about safety in all situations. They get criticized regularly by other family members because:

 

- They don't drive at breakneck speed.

- They stop on the orange light.

- They don't rush 'home' (about 4 - 5 hours drive) for every long week-end. In fact they wait for a quiet period to go home.

- They get their van serviced regularly.

- If they take a bus or roht doo, and the driver is speeding or driving crazily they and quickly ask the drive to stop and they get out, find another bus of whatever or call me to pick them up and bring them back home.

 

My son and his wife just ignore the criticism and what I like even more is that explain well to their kids why they take certain attitudes, precautions, etc. They don't care what the relatives say.  

 

In fact the extended family have suffered tragedies like many other Thai families. If my son mentions this they laugh at him and claim 'karma', 'just bad luck' etc. 

[sahibji]

17 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. 

according to the report the boat went vertically down. surely it would be impossible for non swimmers in the lower deck to escape. i would expect the casualties to be higher.

[sahibji]

the boat must have taken in water rapidly for it to go vertically down. people in the lower deck would definitely have been trapped resulting in the casualties.

[ratcatcher]

23 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

The OP says the boat went down slowly. Either that is wrong and it sank quickly, or they panicked and couldn't get out the exit for the crush. I have been on that sort of boat and the lower level windows don't always open.

The other suggestion is that they got out and were swept away by the current.

Watch the video and judge for yourself. It would seem the vessel struck an underwater obstruction by the bow and was quickly filled with water below the main deck.

[quandow]

17 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.

Perhaps older and/or non swimming passengers.

[nakhonandy]

What a terrible avoidable tragedy. 

 

As many have said the deaths no doubt were mainly people on the lower deck. It went down quickly. The only real way out is swim through the windows, we're they open? Of course how many Thais can swim? 

 

Incidentaly, life vests are more of a hazard than a help on the lower deck. 

 

When we use boats we always use the open decks for the above reason, plus we can all swim. 

 

My thoughts are with the families. How awful. 

[newnative]

If you watch the cell phone footage the boat sinks in less than a minute, mostly submerging the lower deck. Some passengers sitting in the middle on the lower deck would have had a hard time to get out in such a short time period.  Very sad.

[ratcatcher]

4 minutes ago, nakhonandy said:

What a terrible avoidable tragedy. 

 

As many have said the deaths no doubt were mainly people on the lower deck. It went down quickly. The only real way out is swim through the windows, we're they open? Of course how many Thais can swim? 

 

Incidentaly, life vests are more of a hazard than a help on the lower deck. 

 

When we use boats we always use the open decks for the above reason, plus we can all swim. 

 

My thoughts are with the families. How awful. 

"As many have said the deaths no doubt were mainly people on the lower deck. It went down quickly. The only real way out is swim through the windows, we're they open?"

If you take a look at the video posted by Wilson & son #21, you will see that the main deck has no windows, it is an open deck with the roof over from the upper deck. The speed which the vessel sank is very significant in this case.

[Thian]

6 hours ago, Searat7 said:

The boats on which I traveled in the Bangkok area don't carry nearly enough life jackets for the number of passengers aboard. As an experienced boater I have made this observation many times

 

I agree, and i even reported that last year or so after that ferry at sea sunk, they opened a helpdesk to report such issues with thai public transport.

 

In the riverboats there are lifejackets under the seats and for all standing people they are hanging in the back. I never counted them but for sure there's no time to get one if the boat starts sinking like this one did.

 

But money is more important for the Thai authorities, they don't give a shoot about passengers/tourists safety...I can swim well and am strong but sure not everybody using the boats can. Shame on you Thailand! 13 more people killed because of greed.

[Thian]

On the riverboats in BKK they even push passengers inside because nobody is allowed to stay on the reardeck...

[nakhonandy]

1 hour ago, ratcatcher said:

"As many have said the deaths no doubt were mainly people on the lower deck. It went down quickly. The only real way out is swim through the windows, we're they open?"

If you take a look at the video posted by Wilson & son #21, you will see that the main deck has no windows, it is an open deck with the roof over from the upper deck. The speed which the vessel sank is very significant in this case.

Thanks I missed the window bit.

 

I agree the speed would be a major factor, however if it was an open deck then it will probably be due to panic and not being able to swim. Being massively overloaded will not have helped either.

[DM07]

9 hours ago, kannot said:

its  the  will of their  god

Some people just cam't help themselves! 

[Kiwisailor]

In June the Chao Praya was quite rough on one day and as we went to board a ferry at Chinatown the attendant held his hand up and prevented any more from boarding the boat - probably only about 20 standing people. About a week ago with the river in full flood and choppy, we made sure we were near the front of the pier expecting similar behavior but no, everyone was squeezed on board - like being on a Japanese subway train at rush hour.