Post by Soutpeel on May 28, 2016 7:04:01 GMT 7
Samui boat death toll rises to three; 14 rescued after capsize off Krabi
Attachment Deleted
THE DEATH toll from a speedboat accident off Koh Samui on Thursday has risen to three, after officials retrieved the body of a Chinese tourist yesterday.
As of press time last night, one victim remained unaccounted for. Records showed he is a man from the United Kingdom.
Samui Island is located in the Gulf of Thailand adjacent to the southern province of Surat Thani, not far from Krabi on the Andaman coast, where a long-tailed boat capsized in rough weather yesterday. Nearby boats were able to help all 14 tourist passengers from that vessel.
Pol Major Sontas Wattanawalan, an inspector at Ao Nang Police Station in Krabi, said yesterday: "At this point, we are now trying to locate the boat driver [of the long-tailed boat]."
The sea was also rough off Koh Samui yesterday and affected search operations for the British man missing after the accident on Thursday.
"The wind is strong and the water is not clear. So, it's quite difficult to search for the missing victim," Pol Lt Colonel Ukhcarawath Sithanaboonubol of the Marine Police Division said yesterday.
He said the scope of the search was 200 metres from the accident spot.
The speedboat was carrying 32 people, including four crew. It capsized while returning to Samui late on Thursday afternoon. All tourists on board were foreigners on a day trip to various nearby isles.
Killed in the accident were a Briton, a German and a Chinese tourist, whose body was found yesterday. All were female. The driver of boat, Sanan Seetakaew, 47, has been charged with recklessness causing death and injuries to others.
Insurance taken out by the firm that owns the boat offers compensation of up to Bt1 million per death and reimbursement of up to Bt500,000 for medical treatment per person.
Four tourists were also taken to hospital for injuries sustained during the accident, including a British woman and Australian man who have been sent to a hospital in Bangkok, staff at a Samui hospital said.
Two more tourists, a Romanian woman and a German man, are receiving medical treatment on the island, the hospital said.
The United Kingdom's Foreign Office confirmed the death of a British woman and said it was assisting her family.
A spokeswoman said they were aware of another British national in hospital for injuries suffered in the same incident, but did not refer to a third citizen.
"We remain in contact with local authorities in Thailand for further information," she said.
Prapas Intanaphasart, who heads the Tourism Authority of Thailand's Surat Thani Office, said the accident had some impacts on tourism. "But the impacts are not severe," he said.
The ferry between mainland Surat Thani and Koh Samui was running as usual yesterday. Tourists were also seen jumping on to speedboats for the trip between Samui and Angthong islands.
www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Samui-boat-death-toll-rises-to-three;-14-rescued-a-30286886.html
Attachment Deleted
THE DEATH toll from a speedboat accident off Koh Samui on Thursday has risen to three, after officials retrieved the body of a Chinese tourist yesterday.
As of press time last night, one victim remained unaccounted for. Records showed he is a man from the United Kingdom.
Samui Island is located in the Gulf of Thailand adjacent to the southern province of Surat Thani, not far from Krabi on the Andaman coast, where a long-tailed boat capsized in rough weather yesterday. Nearby boats were able to help all 14 tourist passengers from that vessel.
Pol Major Sontas Wattanawalan, an inspector at Ao Nang Police Station in Krabi, said yesterday: "At this point, we are now trying to locate the boat driver [of the long-tailed boat]."
The sea was also rough off Koh Samui yesterday and affected search operations for the British man missing after the accident on Thursday.
"The wind is strong and the water is not clear. So, it's quite difficult to search for the missing victim," Pol Lt Colonel Ukhcarawath Sithanaboonubol of the Marine Police Division said yesterday.
He said the scope of the search was 200 metres from the accident spot.
The speedboat was carrying 32 people, including four crew. It capsized while returning to Samui late on Thursday afternoon. All tourists on board were foreigners on a day trip to various nearby isles.
Killed in the accident were a Briton, a German and a Chinese tourist, whose body was found yesterday. All were female. The driver of boat, Sanan Seetakaew, 47, has been charged with recklessness causing death and injuries to others.
Insurance taken out by the firm that owns the boat offers compensation of up to Bt1 million per death and reimbursement of up to Bt500,000 for medical treatment per person.
Four tourists were also taken to hospital for injuries sustained during the accident, including a British woman and Australian man who have been sent to a hospital in Bangkok, staff at a Samui hospital said.
Two more tourists, a Romanian woman and a German man, are receiving medical treatment on the island, the hospital said.
The United Kingdom's Foreign Office confirmed the death of a British woman and said it was assisting her family.
A spokeswoman said they were aware of another British national in hospital for injuries suffered in the same incident, but did not refer to a third citizen.
"We remain in contact with local authorities in Thailand for further information," she said.
Prapas Intanaphasart, who heads the Tourism Authority of Thailand's Surat Thani Office, said the accident had some impacts on tourism. "But the impacts are not severe," he said.
The ferry between mainland Surat Thani and Koh Samui was running as usual yesterday. Tourists were also seen jumping on to speedboats for the trip between Samui and Angthong islands.
www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Samui-boat-death-toll-rises-to-three;-14-rescued-a-30286886.html
