A speedboat carrying 32 tourists back to Koh Samui after a day of snorkeling in Ang Thong Marine Park capsized last night leaving three passengers dead and one still missing.
Thirty-one foreigners, one Thai tourist and four Thai crew members were aboard the Anthong Explorer when it capsized by an outcropping of rocks near Koh Samui. Just after the boat flipped, nearby fishing and Marine Department boats were able to rescue most all of the people that had been on board.
The dead are three women: one British, one German and one from Hong Kong. The two Western women died immediately when the boat capsized, the woman from Hong Kong was found today and it was not immediately apparent if she died from drowning or other injuries.
Another British man is still missing. None of their names have been released.
The boat was returning to Samui at about 4pm yesterday. Rescue workers rushed to recover all of the passengers before dark but the British man and the woman from Hong Kong remained missing on Thursday night.
The captain of the boat, Sanan Sitakaew, 47, has been arrested for reckless endangerment because the passengers were not wearing life jackets and he failed to properly communicate with his crew in the emergency situation, investigating Lieutenant Navee Chitbarn told The Nation.
It is not known what caused the accident but Navee believes that strong winds might have played a role in the tragedy.
Reader Interactions