PATTAYA: Thai divers searched yesterday for the wreck of a crowded tourist ferry which sank leaving six dead including three foreigners, as rescuers recounted plucking victims from the water.
Three Thais, one person from Hong Kong and two other unidentified foreigners were among the dead, according to police in the tourist resort of Pattaya, around 150 kilometres (100 miles) southeast of Bangkok. They said all of the other 150-200 passengers were believed to have been rescued. Nineteen people were also injured.
The double-decker ferry went down on Sunday afternoon near Koh Larn, a small island popular with day-trippers from Pattaya, a popular beach resort renowned for its racy nightlife.
“We don’t expect to find any more dead. One Russian boy is seriously ill in intensive care,” said Pattaya police chief Colonel Suwarn Chiewnawintawat.
“The captain ran away. We will issue an arrest warrant for him,” he said. “Divers will recover the boat today. We still don’t know the cause.”
Stunned tourists were seen being led to safety on shore on Sunday where they were met by dozens of ambulances along Pattaya’s neon-lit beachfront. Medics performed emergency first aid on injured passengers.
Accidents involving boats, buses and other forms of public transportation are common in Thailand, where safety standards are generally poor. A local boat captain who witnessed the tragedy recounted throwing life jackets to passengers floating in the water. AFP
