PHUKET, Thailand – Thai divers scoured the wreckage of a boat with Chinese tourists that sank in a storm off the resort island of Phuket, as the death toll rose to 10 with about 45 others missing on Friday, officials said.

Nine bodies of Chinese tourists were being brought to Phuket, where authorities had already confirmed the death of another Chinese man.

Some of the bodies were found by divers who entered the wreck Friday and others were floating in the water, said navy official Narong Aurabhakdi.

The boat was carrying 105 people, including 93 tourists, 11 crew and one tour guide when it toppled in 5-meter (16-foot) -high waves on Thursday evening. At least 12 of the injured were hospitalized.

The incident comes as rescuers, also led by Thai navy divers, struggle to extract 12 boys and their soccer coach from a flooded cave in the country’s far north, where they’ve been trapped since June 23.

Another boat also overturned off Phuket on Thursday. Officials said all 42 on board have been rescued.

Jin Yilin, consul-general of the Chinese Embassy in Thailand, said a delegation from the Chinese Foreign Ministry is on the way to Thailand.

Thai media showed photos of rescued people in large rubber life rafts at sea, with fishing boats and churning water in the background. The images also showed survivors being lifted from the rafts and sitting in life jackets amid ropes on the deck of what appears to be a fishing trawler.

Phuket officials had earlier issued a warning of severe weather until Tuesday, including heavy rain and winds.

“All agencies are co-operating in their search at this time,” Phuket Gov. Norraphat Plodthong said. “We have given warnings … but the winds are strong.”

He said officials would consider whether to ban boats from going to sea during strong winds.

Thai PBS television reported late Thursday that 12 boats with 263 passengers in all had been forced by the weather to stay docked at Racha island, a popular diving spot about an hour’s boat ride from Phuket.

They said they were providing food, shelter and water to the people, and if the weather did not clear, larger boats belonging to the navy would be sent to retrieve them.

The Thai incidents came after an overloaded boat carrying illegal Indonesian immigrants capsized in bad weather off Malaysia’s southern Johor state late Sunday.

The Malaysian coast guard said Friday that 25 people, including a woman, have been rescued. Ten others, including four women, were found dead. Rescue operations involving 150 personnel are ongoing for another nine people believed to be still missing.

Such tragedies are not uncommon in Malaysia. Many Indonesians are willing to risk their lives by travelling on boats believed to be old and unsafe to work in Malaysia illegally, or to return to their hometowns.</s>July 5 (UPI) -- At least one man is dead and 49 people are missing after a tourist boat capsized amid rough seas off the coast of the island of Phuket.

The boat named "The Phoenix" was carrying about 90 passengers, who were mostly Chinese tourists, according to Police Lt. Colonel Somsak Sophakarn, the deputy chief of Phuket's Chalong Provincial Police Station, CNN reported.

Approximately 50 people had been rescued and taken to shore as of Friday afternoon in Thailand.

Rescue workers are continuing to search for the missing passengers. Officials said the Thai Royal Navy is assisting in rescue efforts with divers and helicopters.

Seas were rough on Friday and a weather warning was put out, but several tourists boats and other sea recreational vehicles went out, anyways.

As a result, Phuket Governor Noraphat Plothong said there were three emergency incidents on Friday and a total of 138 people were in need of rescue, the Phuket News reported.

Another tourist boat carrying 39 people sunk off the southeast coast of Phuket. All 39 people were safely recovered.

In the third incident, a Russian couple on jet skis got lost, but were eventually found, the Bangkok Post reported.</s>PHUKET, Thailand – Thai divers scoured the wreckage of a boat with Chinese tourists that sank in a storm off the resort island of Phuket, as the death toll rose to 10 with about 45 others missing on Friday, officials said.

Nine bodies of Chinese tourists were being brought to Phuket, where authorities had already confirmed the death of another Chinese man.

Some of the bodies were found by divers who entered the wreck Friday and others were floating in the water, said navy official Narong Aurabhakdi.

The boat was carrying 105 people, including 93 tourists, 11 crew and one tour guide when it toppled in 5-meter (16-foot) -high waves on Thursday evening. At least 12 of the injured were hospitalized.

The incident comes as rescuers, also led by Thai navy divers, struggle to extract 12 boys and their soccer coach from a flooded cave in the country’s far north, where they’ve been trapped since June 23.

Another boat also overturned off Phuket on Thursday. Officials said all 42 on board have been rescued.

Jin Yilin, consul-general of the Chinese Embassy in Thailand, said a delegation from the Chinese Foreign Ministry is on the way to Thailand.

Thai media showed photos of rescued people in large rubber life rafts at sea, with fishing boats and churning water in the background. The images also showed survivors being lifted from the rafts and sitting in life jackets amid ropes on the deck of what appears to be a fishing trawler.

Phuket officials had earlier issued a warning of severe weather until Tuesday, including heavy rain and winds.

“All agencies are co-operating in their search at this time,” Phuket Gov. Norraphat Plodthong said. “We have given warnings … but the winds are strong.”

He said officials would consider whether to ban boats from going to sea during strong winds.

Thai PBS television reported late Thursday that 12 boats with 263 passengers in all had been forced by the weather to stay docked at Racha island, a popular diving spot about an hour’s boat ride from Phuket.

They said they were providing food, shelter and water to the people, and if the weather did not clear, larger boats belonging to the navy would be sent to retrieve them.

The Thai incidents came after an overloaded boat carrying illegal Indonesian immigrants capsized in bad weather off Malaysia’s southern Johor state late Sunday.

The Malaysian coast guard said Friday that 25 people, including a woman, have been rescued. Ten others, including four women, were found dead. Rescue operations involving 150 personnel are ongoing for another nine people believed to be still missing.

Such tragedies are not uncommon in Malaysia. Many Indonesians are willing to risk their lives by travelling on boats believed to be old and unsafe to work in Malaysia illegally, or to return to their hometowns.</s>Governor in southern Thailand province of Phuket says 49 missing from tourist boat that overturned in rough seas

PHUKET, Thailand (AP) — Governor in southern Thailand province of Phuket says 49 missing from tourist boat that overturned in rough seas.</s>PHUKET: The death toll from a boat accident near the Thai holiday island of Phuket has risen to 28, officials said Friday (Jul 6), as divers reported seeing multiple bodies inside the sunken hull of the Phoenix tourist vessel.

The dead were found drifting face down in the water, still wearing life jackets, several kilometres from where the Phoenix sank after being hit by five-metre high waves in a storm on Thursday evening.

"Twenty-six bodies have been found and brought to here (Chalong pier). At least two (more) bodies will be transferred to this port soon," Archayon Kraithong, deputy commissioner of Thailand's Tourist police, told AFP.

"The mission will go on," he added.

Earlier, Rear Admiral Charoenphon Khumrasee of the Thai navy said divers had seen "over 10 bodies" inside the submerged boat.

The Phoenix was carrying 105 passengers, the majority of whom were Chinese tourists, when it hit trouble, sparking a rescue attempt that took place in the dark.

Forty-eight people - passengers and crew - were rescued before the operation was suspended late Thursday.

"The skies were clear when we went out, we had no idea the weather could change so fast," said Wu Jun, 28, from the hospital bedside of his wife Long Hai Ning.

The pair, who were on their honeymoon, were on different decks as the boat started to list, but both managed to escape.

"I grabbed onto a railing and pulled myself overboard," he told AFP, adding he feared women and children were among those who were trapped on the bottom deck as the boat went down.

A total of 56 passengers were reported missing as of Friday morning before the recovery effort began, with the Phoenix looking set to be one of the worst boat disasters in recent Thai history.



Thailand is already in the global spotlight for a dramatic rescue mission in the north of the country, after 12 boys and their football coach were trapped in a cave complex.

Stunned survivors of the boat accident huddled in blankets on a Phuket pier late Thursday.

The Phoenix was among several boats that appeared to have ignored a severe weather warning in place since Wednesday to take tourists on day-trips to the islands that dot the seas off Phuket.

A Chinese consular official arrived at the operations centre in Phuket to monitor the rescue effort.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said a taskforce was on its way to Thailand.

"We hope that the Thai side can continue their best efforts and ... do their best to treat the injured, comfort relatives and deal with other follow up measures," he said.

Phuket is a magnet for overseas visitors including Western sun-seekers and huge numbers of Chinese tourists who make up the bulk of the 35 million people expected to visit the kingdom this year.

Last year 9.8 million Chinese tourists visited Thailand, with five million more arriving between January and May this year.



Thailand has a poor health and safety record and accidents are common on its roads and busy waterways - especially in tourist areas during the monsoon season which is now biting.</s>– A total of 13 bodies were discovered as of July 6 noon after a tourist boat had overturned near the Thai island of Phuket a day earlier, reported the Thai News Agency (TNA).The first body was recovered in early morning of July 6 and 12 more were found just before noon. Forty-three people are still missing.All boat passengers were Chinese tourists, Thai authority confirmed.The boat called Phoenix was carrying at least 105 people, including 93 tourists and 12 tour guides, when it was pummelled by huge waves on the way back to Phuket from the popular snorkeling spot of Koh Racha.The boat was flooded and began to keel over after it was hit by five-metre high waves in the afternoon. Life jackets were later handed out to passengers and inflatable life rafts deployed, said the captain, Somjing Boontham.Rescuers have saved 51 people. Eleven are injured, two of whom are in serious condition, said Phuket governor Noraphat Plodthing.Helicopters were dispatched to find those who may have drifted away from the boat while divers were also sent to search inside the sunken boat, he added.According to the Chinese Consulate General in Songkhla, most of the Chinese tourists are employees of a company who were on a holiday trip with their families to Phuket.A Chinese consular official has arrived in Phuket to monitor the rescue efforts.The Phoenix was among several boats that appeared to have ignored a severe weather warning to take tourists on day-trips to islands off Phuket.Another boat called Senerita also capsized in the same area on July 5 with 39 European and Chinese tourists abroad. All of the passengers were rescued. –VNA</s>PHUKET, Thailand - Thai navy divers prepared Friday to search for 56 mostly Chinese tourists missing after a storm capsized their diving boat off the resort island of Phuket.

The commander of Phuket Provincial Police, Teerapol Tipcharoen, said the sea had calmed since Thursday evening's accident and the search was ongoing.

A navy deputy commander, Charoenpol Kumrasri, said they hope survivors can be found in the boat, which sits about 30 metres below the surface. He said about 30 navy divers would be sent to take part.

The boat was carrying 105 people, including 93 tourists, 11 crew and one tour guide when it toppled in 5-metre-high seas. One Chinese male passenger has been confirmed dead and at least 12 people hospitalized.

The incident comes as rescuers, also led by Thai navy divers, struggle to extract 12 boys and their soccer coach from a flooded cave in the country's far north, where they've been trapped since June 23.

Phuket Gov. Norraphat Plodthong said Thursday night that 48 passengers were rescued from the boat, with 49 unaccounted for. Police previously said 90 people had been rescued from the boat and just seven were missing. The reason for the discrepancies was not clear.

Another boat also overturned off Phuket on Thursday. Officials said all 42 on board have been rescued.

Jin Yilin, consul-general of the Chinese Embassy in Thailand, said a delegation from the Chinese Foreign Ministry is on the way to Thailand.

Thai media showed photos of rescued people in large rubber life rafts at sea, with fishing boats and churning water in the background. The images also showed survivors being lifted from the rafts and sitting in life jackets amid ropes on the deck of what appears to be a fishing trawler.

Phuket officials had earlier issued a warning of severe weather until Tuesday, including heavy rain and winds.

"All agencies are co-operating in their search at this time," Norraphat said. "We have given warnings ... but the winds are strong."

He said officials would consider whether to ban boats from going to sea during strong winds.

Thai PBS television reported late Thursday that 12 boats with 263 passengers in all had been forced by the weather to stay docked at Racha island, a popular diving spot about an hour's boat ride from Phuket.

They said they were providing food, shelter and water to the people, and if the weather did not clear, larger boats belonging to the navy would be sent to retrieve them.

The Thai incidents came after an overloaded boat carrying illegal Indonesian immigrants capsized in bad weather off Malaysia's southern Johor state late Sunday.

The Malaysian coast guard said Friday that 25 people, including a woman, have been rescued. Ten others, including four women, were found dead. Rescue operations involving 150 personnel are ongoing for another nine people believed to be still missing.

Such tragedies are not uncommon in Malaysia. Many Indonesians are willing to risk their lives by travelling on boats believed to be old and unsafe to work in Malaysia illegally, or to return to their hometowns.</s>PHUKET, Thailand (AP) — Thai divers scoured the wreckage of a boat with Chinese tourists that sank in a storm off the resort island of Phuket, as the death toll rose to 10 with about 45 others missing on Friday, officials said.

Nine bodies of Chinese tourists were being brought to Phuket, where authorities had already confirmed the death of another Chinese man.

Some of the bodies were found by divers who entered the wreck Friday and others were floating in the water, said navy official Narong Aurabhakdi.

The boat was carrying 105 people, including 93 tourists, 11 crew and one tour guide when it toppled in 5-meter (16-foot) -high waves on Thursday evening. At least 12 of the injured were hospitalized.

The incident comes as rescuers, also led by Thai navy divers, struggle to extract 12 boys and their soccer coach from a flooded cave in the country's far north, where they've been trapped since June 23.

Another boat also overturned off Phuket on Thursday. Officials said all 42 on board have been rescued.

Jin Yilin, consul-general of the Chinese Embassy in Thailand, said a delegation from the Chinese Foreign Ministry is on the way to Thailand.

Thai media showed photos of rescued people in large rubber life rafts at sea, with fishing boats and churning water in the background. The images also showed survivors being lifted from the rafts and sitting in life jackets amid ropes on the deck of what appears to be a fishing trawler.

Phuket officials had earlier issued a warning of severe weather until Tuesday, including heavy rain and winds.

"All agencies are co-operating in their search at this time," Phuket Gov. Norraphat Plodthong said. "We have given warnings ... but the winds are strong."

He said officials would consider whether to ban boats from going to sea during strong winds.

Thai PBS television reported late Thursday that 12 boats with 263 passengers in all had been forced by the weather to stay docked at Racha island, a popular diving spot about an hour's boat ride from Phuket.

They said they were providing food, shelter and water to the people, and if the weather did not clear, larger boats belonging to the navy would be sent to retrieve them.

The Thai incidents came after an overloaded boat carrying illegal Indonesian immigrants capsized in bad weather off Malaysia's southern Johor state late Sunday.

The Malaysian coast guard said Friday that 25 people, including a woman, have been rescued. Ten others, including four women, were found dead. Rescue operations involving 150 personnel are ongoing for another nine people believed to be still missing.

Such tragedies are not uncommon in Malaysia. Many Indonesians are willing to risk their lives by travelling on boats believed to be old and unsafe to work in Malaysia illegally, or to return to their hometowns.</s>Thai authorities say Phuket boat accident death toll climbs to 33, all Chinese nationals

PHUKET, Thailand (AP) — Thai authorities say Phuket boat accident death toll climbs to 33, all Chinese nationals.</s>Dozens of people are still missing in waters off the resort island of Phuket after a diving boat packed with tourists capsized in a storm.

The commander of Phuket Provincial Police, Teerapol Tipcharoen, said seas have calmed since the Thursday evening’s accident and the search is ongoing for the 56 missing people.

The boat was carrying 105 passengers, including 93 tourists, 11 crew and one tour guide when it toppled in five metre-high seas on Thursday.

One Chinese male passenger has been confirmed dead, and at least 12 people hospitalised.

Phuket Governor Norraphat Plodthong said 48 passengers were rescued from the boat, with 49 unaccounted for.

Police previously said 90 people had been rescued from the boat and just seven were missing.

Another boat also overturned off Phuket on Thursday and officials said all 42 on board have been rescued.

Thai media showed photos of rescued people in large rubber life rafts at sea, with fishing boats and churning water in the background.

The images also showed survivors being lifted from the rafts and sitting in life jackets amid ropes on the deck of what appears to be a fishing trawler.

Phuket officials had earlier issued a warning of severe weather until Tuesday, including heavy rain and winds.

“All agencies are co-operating in their search at this time,” Mr Norraphat said. “We have given warnings… but the winds are strong.”

He said officials would consider whether to ban boats from going to sea during strong winds.
The death toll from a tourist boat accident off the coast of Thailand's Phuket Island climbs to 41, with 15 people still missing.