A boat with 97 people, including Chinese tourists and Thai crew, capsized off Thailand’s Phuket island, the Thai Navy informed on June 5. 49 are missing, while Thailand has rescued 48. Thailand is currently experiencing the monsoon season, and the ship encountered rough seas.
As Rear Admiral Somnuk Prempramote, commander of the Royal Thai Navy Region 3 noted, the navy is searching for 49 people. Until now 48 people have been rescued from the boat, while more boats are expected to help.
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The boat experienced difficulties at sea on Thursday, June 5, while two more boats also capsized. Namely, one of these boats, which at the was carrying 39 people, also capsized. Luckily, all passengers returned to land via rubber life-rafts.
As Reuters reports, boat as well as road accidents involving tourists are common in Thailand, as its safety standards are sometimes substandard.
However, these accidents do not seem to impact the country’s tourism industry, which is one of the few bright spots in a struggling economy.
