Boat that sank off Phuket, killing 47 Chinese tourists, is recovered
349 views · Published 25 November 2018 · 1:46 · Indexed 27 September 2026
Channel: AP Archive · 2018 · News & Politics
(17 Nov 2018) Thai officials have recovered a boat that sank in rough weather off Thailand's resort island of Phuket, killing 47 Chinese tourists. The boat was brought to the surface on Saturday. The double-decker tour boat Phoenix was one of two boats carrying tourists that sank on July 5. Everyone on the other boat was rescued. The accident was one of Thailand's worst tourism-related disasters in recent years. Officials say the boat was raised from the 45-metre deep sea floor by a crane ship, operated by a salvage company from Singapore. The recovery operation itself faced many obstacles. The first company, hired to salvage the boat, lost a member of its team during the operation and failed to lift the boat during the rainy season. A group of senior police officers witnessing the operation stood in silence for one minute on Saturday in commemoration of the victims. The Phoenix, covered in brown algae and brown sludge, will be towed into a pier in Phuket. Police said they will treat the boat as evidence in a crime and will inspect the boat as part of their investigations Five people have been charged so far, including the owner and two operators of the Phoenix. They have been accused of negligence causing death, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. Officials said other people are also under investigation, including some at the company that built the boat. More than 9.8 million Chinese visited Thailand in 2017, accounting for the biggest share of the 35.38 million total foreign tourists. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/6b4b427d55b2e78a6617a905f154d995
