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In this May 26, 2016, photo taken from video, rescue workers smash a hole in a capsized boat to retrieve a woman on Koh Samui, Thailand. (Photo / AP) |
SAMUI, Thailand - Three tourists, including a woman from Hong Kong, are confirmed dead and one is still missing after a speedboat packed with foreign tourists capsized on its way back to the tourist island of Koh Samui in Southern Thailand on Thursday.
The body of the woman who was reported missing earlier was found Friday morning, police Maj. Gen. Apichart Boonsriraj said.
The other two victims are from Britain and Germany.
The Chinese Consulate General in Songkhla told Xinhua an injured Hong Kong tourist had been sent back to hotel safely.
Local police are still looking for a missing British man.
The boat, carrying 32 tourists and four crew members, was cruising from Anghong island to Samui when it capsized because of strong winds and high waves, said Pichet Sudduan, a port official. The occupants were thrown overboard and some were trapped under the capsized vessel.
At least one person was pulled out after rescuers used hammers to smash a hole in the vessel's hull.
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In this May 26, 2016 photo taken from video, rescue workers attempt to retrieve a woman from under a capsized boat on Koh Samui, Thailand. (Photo / AP) |
"The reason the speedboat capsized is because of bad weather conditions and because the boat was speeding," Police Colonel Apichart Boonsriroj, commander of Surat Thani province where the crash happened, told Reuters. One person had been charged with causing death and injuries, Apichart said.
Four people remained hospitalized Friday out of the 28 who received medical treatment, said Dr. Theerasak Viriyanon. He said one of the four has a fractured shoulder and another has a fractured skull. The other two suffered from a lack of oxygen and are being monitored for lung infections.
The boat's captain, Sanan Seekakiaw, is being held by police for investigation and faces a possible charge of reckless endangerment causing death, punishable by up to 10 years' imprisonment.
Sanan said the boat was traveling at about 18 kilometers an hour. He said high waves crashed onto the bow and the impact overturned the boat. He added he had asked all tourists to wear life vest but some had taken theirs off during the journey.
With its palm-fringed beaches, hot climate and world-renowed cuisine, Thailand is a top holiday destination for foreign tourists despite its woeful road and sea safety record.
International tourist arrivals are expected to hit a record high of 32 million in 2016, compared with 29.88 million last year, driven mostly by Chinese tourists.
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In this May 26, 2016, taken from video, a woman gestures after she was rescued from a capsized boat on Koh Samui, Thailand. (Photo / AP) |
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In this May 26, 2016 photo taken from video, rescued tourists rest on the shore after their boat capsized on Koh Samui, Thailand. (Photo / AP) |
