UPDATE: Photo Album Above
The tourists have been named as Zhao Qiang and his wife Fang Chu, both aged 28.
Original Report
TWO tourists holidaying on Phuket, a man and a woman, were killed when their jet-ski slammed into a catamaran off Patong beach today.
The deaths were confirmed by Lieutenant Colonel Nikorn Chootong, of Kathu Police Station, which oversees Patong.
It is believed the jet-ski riders, a couple both aged 28 and from China, tried to go under the central portion of the catamaran, possibly mistaking the catamaran for a single-hulled vessel.
The death crash occurred at the southern end of the beach, after the couple rented the jet-ski from an operator on the beach near the Patong Beach Hotel.
Phuketwan has confirmed that the couple were part of a group of 11 from China that arrived on November 28 and was due to visit He Island for snorkelling today.
However, the woman said she was feeling sick and decided to stay in their hotel, Phuketwan has been told. Her husband stayed with her.
The tour group leader said: ''I was just so surprised to hear they had been killed. She told me in the morning she was feeling too sick to go snorkelling.''
The group had been due to fly to Bangkok tomorrow to spend one night in the Thai capital before flying home to China. Phuketwan has the names of the young couple, but will not publish them until the families have been notified.
Onlookers said that while the man drove the jet-ski from the beach, the woman was seen in the driver's position as the jet-ski crashed into the catamaran.
Crash damage to the jet-ski's superstructure was severe. Police believe the couple were killed by the impact. The jet-ski was heading out to sea when it ploughed into the catamaran, 150 metres out to sea.
A large cruise liner was at anchor nearby, with passengers being ferried to the pier at the south end of Patong beach.
A masseuse working at the Amari Coral Beach Phuket, on Patong's southern headland, said she saw the crash, and she called police.
The owner of the catamaran, an expat, also telephoned, the vice president of the Patong Jet-ski Association, Nucha Petchvimol, told Phuketwan.
He said the couple were from China and had been staying at the Baan Karonburi Resort, in Karon, another tourist beachfront destination south of Patong.
The couple had paid 1500 baht to ride the jet-ski for 30 minutes, Khun Nucha said.
''When they took off, the husband was riding, and his wife was the passenger,'' Khun Nucha said. ''There was a little rain while they were jet-skiing.
''When we heard from the jet-ski owner that there had been a crash, our people went straight out and found the woman had the starter key in her hand.''
A second police officer told Phuketwan the bodies of the dead couple have been taken to Patong Hospital.
The deaths are likely to bring to a head the issue of jet-skis being used without controls on Patong and other Phuket beaches.
Phuket Police Commander Major General Pekad Tantipong was at the beach where he took charge of the investigation. He was fully briefed and went to Patong Hospital to examine the bodies.
Major General Pekad has told police that in an effort to improve the speed of notification of deaths or arrests involving expats, all serious incidents have to be reported to his office.
Operators of jet-skis in Patong continue to be accused of scams based on ''damage'' to jet-skis, although an insurance scheme introduced last year was designed to obliterate the fraud.
Safety experts have long been urging the use of buoys to partition off a segment of Patong beach for the safety of swimmers, who are constantly endangered by jet-skis and speedboats towing parasailers.
Safety experts have also been urging lessons for jet-ski riders. Under Thai law, jet-skis are categorised as a vessel requiring a certificate to operate.
The use of jet-skis on Patong and other Phuket beaches has grown despite an edict from a Governor almost seven years ago that the jet-skis be phased out over seven years. That time limit expires in March.
One Singaporean tourist was killed earlier this year when his jet-ski was hit by another jet-ski ridden by a friend, and a pair of Australian tourists confessed to deliberately crashing jet-skis off Patong earlier this week.
Well-known jet-ski operator Winai ''JJ'' Naiman was not the manager of the jet-ski involved in the crash, but he went with the jet-ski manager to inspect the vehicle at Kathu Police Station.
An insurance assessor was on the spot soon after. Damage is believed to be about 200,000 baht a new jet-ski costs 300,000 baht or more - but the insurance payout ceiling is 50,000 baht.
A death coverage is part of the policy, with a maximum payout of 50,000 baht a death.
Latest A pair of Australian tourists admitted deliberately crashing two jet skis but were not prepared to pay the 250,000 baht asking price for repairs. They settled on 80,000 baht.
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UPDATE A Phuketwan journalist in Patong encounters JJ Naiman engaged in a mediation debate with a Russian tourist at Kathu Police Station. After a lengthy mediation, the tourist pays up.
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Latest A tourist from South Africa claims to have paid an extra 69,000 baht to a jet ski operator at Patong despite having an insurance policy covering damage.
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Latest A Singapore tourist who had surrendered his passport to police after a fatal jet ski collision is back home, says a Singapore newspaper.
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Phuket Jet-Ski Disaster: Coma Victim Flying Home
Latest A young tourist is in a coma and expected to suffer permanent brain damage after a jet ski collision. His friends say Phuket beach emergency procedures need to be improved.
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UPDATE Some jet-ski operators are avoiding insurance while others are not keeping up their payments, a meeting at Provincial Hall hears. More than 400,000 baht has been paid in claims.
Phuket Jet-Ski Operators Make 109 Accident Claims
Not much good seems to come from the jet skis. Even in Pattaya now.
Posted by john s on December 1, 2010 12:22