Tourist Boats Capsize Off Thai Resort Island, Leaving at Least 33 Dead

The New York Times ^ | 07/06/18

[Simon Green]

Two boats carrying tourists off the coast of Thailand capsized in 16-foot waves near the resort island of Phuket, killing at least 33 people and leaving dozens missing, officials said Friday.

One of the boats, the double-decker cruise ship Phoenix PC Diving, was carrying 105 passengers — including 93 tourists, all from China — when it capsized Thursday after leaving Koh Racha, a popular snorkeling spot.

Phuket officials said Friday evening that 33 bodies had been recovered so far, all of them Chinese nationals. Twenty-three other people are missing.

The second boat, the Serenita, sank Thursday off Koh Mai Thon, a small resort island off the coast of Phuket. There were 42 people aboard, all of whom were rescued, officials said.

The boats had gone out to sea despite a severe weather warning.

Somjing Boontham, who said he was the captain of the Phoenix, said he had urged passengers to put on life jackets while crew members frantically lowered lifeboats as huge waves slammed and tilted the boat. Pictures from the scene showed lifeboats carrying up to 20 people, some of them children.

The capsizings came as Thailand has been transfixed by the efforts to rescue 12 boys and their soccer coach from the flooded Tham Luang cave in northern Thailand.

Wang Xudong, who is with a private search-and-rescue group from China, had been assisting at the cave, but on Friday he was preparing to search for his countrymen lost at sea instead.

“I never expected to be here in Phuket for something like this,” he said. “We had good news at the cave, and I hope we can have some good news in Phuket, too. I want to help out any way I can, either for Thai people or Chinese people.

[ASA Vet]

It's pronounced Poo as in Whinnie the Poo & Ket like in kettle.

[Zhang Fei]

[On the contrary...it’s monsoon season there right now, which is why I always go in January. Of course, prices are a lot cheaper when the weather’s not as nice.]

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Bingo. The issue is that these package tours are probably not very flexible, time-wise, so it’s now or never. I expect the tourists themselves may also have made the final decision on whether to venture out. Unfortunately, that choice proved to be all too final for some. Gotta hand it to the boat operators for having the stones to head out anyway, knowing what they know about the seas during the monsoon season.

[The_Media_never_lie]

I knew some Coast Guardsmen who didn’t like 3-4 foot seas.

I know I wouldn’t.

[GOPJ]

Prayers for the families and loved ones...

[outofsalt]

That was a huge gag here years ago and I haven’t seen it in all the reporting of late.
Pedo reference, if I recall.

[kaboom]

Likely referring to the original Murray Head - One Night in Bangkok...tho that Waveya version is interesting.

[NEMDF]

YES it was about some guy caught in Thailand, somehow a possible suspect in the Jon Benet Ramsey murder, I believe. I remember it.

[outofsalt]

That was it!

[Afterguard]

Spent some time in Pattaya Beach back in the ‘70 while deployed/detatched to Utapao for Market Time patrols. That’s the only time I’ve been in Thailand and it was fun. I’ve heard Pattaya has turned into a dangerous high priced dump since then. Too bad, because it was a fun, low priced dump when I was there....

[Afterguard]

I apologize for the flip comment to this tragedy. Prayers for the lost and their loved ones.

[gigster]

What kind of a captain would take any passengers out in 16 foot waves?

[FreeAtlanta]

yes, that one is interesting.