BANGKOK (Reuters) - An overcrowded tourist boat carrying Muslim pilgrims was being piloted recklessly before it capsized, killing at least 15 Thai people, officials said on Monday as divers and other rescuers searched for 11 people still missing.

People stand near a boat which according to officials, capsized on the Chao Phraya river while carrying 150 Thai Muslims, in the ancient tourist city of Ayutthaya, Thailand September 18, 2016. Dailynews/via REUTERS

The accident happened on Sunday on the Chao Phraya River in Ayutthaya, a UNESCO World Heritage site located some 80 km (50 miles) north of the Thai capital of Bangkok.

The double-decker tourist boat carrying around 100 Thai Muslims on a pilgrimage tried to overtake a sand barge and ran into a barrier, police said, causing the boat to capsize.

Eleven people are still missing and police divers resumed their search early on Monday. No foreigners were believed to be among the dead.

The boat was 50 passengers over its capacity at the time of the accident, police commander Surapong Thampitak told Reuters on Monday.

The boat’s driver will be charged with reckless driving causing loss of life and overloading the boat beyond its safety limit, said Surapong.

The driver was detained on Sunday night and was being questioned by police, he said.

“We are searching for around 11 missing people today,” Ayutthaya Deputy Governor Rewat Prasong told reporters.

The accident came as Thailand expects to welcome a record 33 million visitors this year. Road and boat accidents involving tourists are common in Thailand, where safety standards are sometimes well below international norms.

However, accidents barely make a dent on Thailand’s tourism industry, one of the few bright spots in an otherwise lackluster economy. A series of bomb blasts in southern Thailand have also had little impact.

One of those attacks on Aug. 11-12 killed four Thais and wounded dozens, including foreigners. Police have blamed the bombings on Malay Muslim insurgents operating in Thailand’s far south.</s>At least 12 dead in Thailand as tourist boat capsizes, dozens missing

BANGKOK, Sept 18 (Reuters) - At least 12 people have died and dozens are missing in Thailand after a boat carrying 150 Thai Muslims capsized in the ancient tourist city of Ayutthaya, officials said on Sunday.

The accident took place on the Chao Phraya river in Ayutthaya, a UNESCO World Heritage site located some 80 kms (43 miles) north of the Thai capital Bangkok.

At least 37 were injured and many are still missing as rescue workers continue to search for survivors into the night.

The dead include seven women, four men and one boy, Rewat Prasong, deputy governor of Ayutthaya province, told Reuters.

The passengers were on their way back from a religious activity when the double-decker boat hit the bank of the river before sinking, district chief Suchon Phaitirat told Reuters.

The accident on Sunday comes as Thailand expects to welcome some 33 million visitors this year, a record. Road and boat accidents involving tourists are common in Thailand where safety standards are sometimes well below international norms.

But such accidents barely make a dent on Thailand's tourism industry, one of the few bright spots in an otherwise lacklustre economy, nor have a series of bomb blasts in southern Thailand had an impact.

One of the attacks on August 11 and 12 left four Thai people dead and dozens injured, including foreigners. Police have blamed the bombings on Malay Muslim insurgents operating in Thailand's far south.</s>At least 13 people have died and dozens are missing in Thailand after a boat carrying 150 Thai Muslims capsized in the ancient tourist city of Ayutthaya, officials said on Sunday.

The accident took place on the Chao Phraya river in Ayutthaya, a Unesco World Heritage site located some 80km (43 miles) north of the Thai capital Bangkok.

At least 37 were injured and many are still missing as rescue workers continue to search for survivors.

The dead include seven women, four men and at least one child.

The passengers were on their way back from a religious activity when the double-decker boat hit the bank of the river before sinking, said district chief Suchon Phaitirat.</s>A boat carrying 150 passengers has crashed into a bridge in Thailand with reports of at least 13 people dead, including a child.

The boat full of tourists returning from a new mosque in the city of Ayutthaya, north of Bangkok, according to a report by The Independent.

The double storey boat is believed to have crashed into a pillar on the Chao Praya River at 4pm local time, in a report by The Sun.

Video of the crash shows people in yellow shirts frantically trying to get off the sinking boat as people on the banks try to help by throwing a safety rope and life jackets to them.

There are fears that up to a dozen people are missing.

Rescuers are currently at the scene.</s>BANGKOK (AP) — Searchers in Thailand have recovered 18 bodies and are continuing to look for 12 people missing from a heavily loaded boat that sank in a river over the weekend, officials said.

The two-deck boat was carrying more than 100 Muslims on a holiday excursion when it sank Sunday afternoon on the Chao Phraya river 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of Bangkok. The boat evidently ran up a riverbank then took on water, sinking in less than two minutes just a few meters offshore.

Bodies were still being retrieved Monday afternoon, with 18 recovered so far, a Marine Department official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because she was not authorized to release information. Some bodies were found in the partially overturned boat, while others had drifted downstream. In addition to the dead and missing, 44 people were injured.

Thai rescue teams search for victims after a boat capsized at Chao Phraya River in Ayuthaya Province, Thailand, Sunday, Sept. 18, 2016. Thai news reports say at least 13 people were killed when a double-decker passenger boat carrying more than 100 people capsized in the Chao Phraya River north of Bangkok. Some people were still missing after the accident, which occurred when the boat was involved in a collision Sunday afternoon, but it was not immediately clear how many. (Dailynews via AP)

A Harbor Department official, Surasak Sansombat, was quoted earlier by ThaiPBS television as saying that the boat's listed capacity was 50 passengers and it probably capsized from overloading.

"Many passengers tried to jump out of the boat and scrambled toward the shore, which was about three to five meters away," Annop Kudeephan, a 50-year-old survivor, was quoted as saying in The Nation newspaper.

Thai rescue teams search for victims after a boat capsized at Chao Phraya River in Ayuthaya Province, Thailand, Sunday, Sept. 18, 2016. Thai news reports say at least 13 people were killed when a double-decker passenger boat carrying more than 100 people capsized in the Chao Phraya River north of Bangkok. Some people were still missing after the accident, which occurred when the boat was involved in a collision Sunday afternoon, but it was not immediately clear how many. (Dailynews via AP)

Thai rescue teams search for victims after a boat capsized at Chao Phraya River in Ayuthaya Province, Thailand, Sunday, Sept. 18, 2016. Thai news reports say at least 13 people were killed when a double-decker passenger boat carrying more than 100 people capsized in the Chao Phraya River north of Bangkok. Some people were still missing after the accident, which occurred when the boat was involved in a collision Sunday afternoon, but it was not immediately clear how many. (Dailynews via AP)</s>Thai rescue teams search for victims after a boat capsized at Chao Phraya River in Ayuthaya Province, Thailand, Sunday, Sept. 18, 2016. Thai news reports say at least 13 people were killed when a double-decker passenger boat carrying more than 100 people capsized in the Chao Phraya River north of Bangkok. Some people were still missing after the accident, which occurred when the boat was involved in a collision Sunday afternoon, but it was not immediately clear how many. (Dailynews via AP)</s>At least 13 reported to be killed in Thailand boat accident

BANGKOK (AP) — Thai news reports say at least 13 people were killed when a double-decker passenger boat carrying more than 100 people capsized in the Chao Phraya River north of Bangkok.

Some people were still missing after the accident, which occurred when the boat was involved in a collision Sunday afternoon, but it was not immediately clear how many.

TV Channel 7 and other stations reported that more than 30 people were injured in the accident. Channel 7 said 13 people were killed.

No foreigners were reported to be among the victims.

Rescue efforts were continuing Sunday evening, but were being hampered by rain and darkness.</s>At least 10 people are feared dead after a boat carrying around 150 passengers capsized in a river.

Dozens more are thought to still be missing in the Chao Praya River in the southern province of Ayutthaya after the boat reportedly hit the pillar of a bridge.

Reoprts suggest hundreds are trapped under the water.

Video footage posted on Twitter shows the boat half-submerged as people in yellow T-shirts, who appear to be a tourist group on board, struggle to escape the sinking vessel.

Divers and rescue workers are currently searching for those who are missing.

Local media has reported that those killed were Muslim tourists returning from a visit to a new mosque in the city of Ayutthaya.

The group are said to have just boarded the boat to leave when the vessel is said to have hit a bridge pillar before capsizing in front of hundreds of fellow vistors stood on the pier.

One of the dead is said to be a child.</s>The accident happened on Sunday on the Chao Phraya River in Ayutthaya, a UNESCO World Heritage site located some 80 km (50 miles) north of the Thai capital of Bangkok.

The double-decker tourist boat carrying around 100 Thai Muslims on a pilgrimage tried to overtake a sand barge and ran into a barrier, police said, causing the boat to capsize.

Eleven people are still missing and police divers resumed their search early on Monday. No foreigners were believed to be among the dead.

The boat was 50 passengers over its capacity at the time of the accident, police commander Surapong Thampitak told Reuters on Monday.

The boat's driver will be charged with reckless driving causing loss of life and overloading the boat beyond its safety limit, said Surapong.

The driver was detained on Sunday night and was being questioned by police, he said.

"We are searching for around 11 missing people today," Ayutthaya Deputy Governor Rewat Prasong told reporters.

The accident came as Thailand expects to welcome a record 33 million visitors this year. Road and boat accidents involving tourists are common in Thailand, where safety standards are sometimes well below international norms.

However, accidents barely make a dent on Thailand's tourism industry, one of the few bright spots in an otherwise lackluster economy. A series of bomb blasts in southern Thailand have also had little impact.

One of those attacks on Aug. 11-12 killed four Thais and wounded dozens, including foreigners. Police have blamed the bombings on Malay Muslim insurgents operating in Thailand's far south.</s>BANGKOK: The search for several missing passengers continued Monday after a boat carrying Muslim pilgrims sank on Thailand’s Chao Phraya River leaving at least 15 people dead, a provincial governor said.

The accident happened on Sunday afternoon near the ancient city of Ayutthaya, a popular tourist attraction, when a boat packed with pilgrims returning from a mosque hit a concrete bank in strong tides.

“The death toll is now confirmed at 15, with 11 people still missing,” Ayutthaya deputy governor Rewat Prasong told media, updating the overnight toll from 13 dead.

“Fourteen people are still in hospital,” he said, adding “the rescue operation resumed this morning to find those missing.”

No foreigners were believed to be among the dead.

Local television stations showed graphic footage of the aftermath of the accident as passengers were pulled from the water while rescuers attempted to resuscitate stricken people on the bank.

Passengers were trapped on the lower deck of the pleasure boat, which was submerged in the swollen, brown waters agonizingly close to the bank.
A tourist boat carrying about 150 people capsizes on the Chao Phraya River in Thailand, killing at least 12 people with dozens missing.