Grieving and angry relatives of the 42 tourists -- most of them Chinese -- drowned when their boat sank in rough seas off the popular tourist island of Phuket, Thailand on July 5 identified the remains of their loved ones yesterday in the largest loss of Chinese lives in Thailand.
Fourteen other Chinese citizens remain missing. The Thai tourist ferry named Phoenix was carrying 105 people (mostly Chinese tourists) when it capsized on the way back from Phuket. The body of the latest victim was recovered Sunday, July 8. Forty-eight passengers and crew were rescued.
Pain-wracked families wiped away tears at the Vachira Phuket Hospital, the largest in Phuket while identifying their loved ones. Others demanded justice for their kin and legal action against the owner and captain of the Phoenix. Thai authorities asked relatives to identify their next-of-kin through photographs and to provide DNA samples.
Thai police on Saturday charged the ship's captain with negligence leading to injury and death. The captain denied the charges. Police said the boat captain ignored a bad weather warning against day trips to the islands surrounding Phuket. The Phoenix capsized in the Andaman Sea off the coast of Ko He, an islet famed for its powdery beach and coral reefs.
The Royal Thai Navy, which is leading the recovery operation, said 25 of the bodies retrieved so far were found on the vessel, which is submerged over 40 meters below the surface of the Andaman Sea. Seventeen Chinese divers joined the operation on Saturday to recover bodies. Chinese investigators will travel to Phuket to probe the cause of the tragedy.
Chinese president President Xi Jinping on July 6 called for all-out search and rescue of Chinese nationals who remained missing. He asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Chinese embassy and consulates to Thailand to take greater measures in this regard. He also urged the Thai government and agencies to spare no efforts in search and rescue and to provide proper medical treatment for the injured Chinese.
Thailand is a popular tourist destination for Chinese. In 2017, 9.8 million Chinese tourists visited Thailand. Five million more visited Thailand between January and May this year.
