MORE than 30 Scandinavian tourists have been rescued after a tour boat took on water and began to sink off Phi Phi yesterday.
The director of the rescue operation, Nithipat Mongkonpradit, said the tourists had begun to panic before help arrived.
The captain of the Laleena radioed an SOS, the large dive boat Pet Palin responded to the call for assistance, and 32 expat tourists plus crew were transferred safely to Koh Lanta.
The Laleena, a one-day tour boat, had carried the party from Trang to Phi Phi and was on a five-kilometre run to Koh Mhak when captain U-saman Hemla, 23, noticed that the vessel was taking water.
His call reached the Chao Fa centre in Krabi about 11.30am, and the Pet Palin responded.
Khun Nithipat, director of monitoring, control and surveillance at the the Krabi-based centre, said that a water pipe had burst in the on-board toilet, threatening a sinking.
All on the Laleena were believed to have been wearing life jackets.
The Laleena was the name of a guesthouse on Phi Phi where two young female tourists took sick and died in as-yet unexplained circumstances last year.
Three Singaporeans died and two are still missing in waters off Malaysia after an incident yesterday. With 24 other passengers, the five were making their way back to Singapore when their boat sank close to Mersing, Johor, about 1.30pm.
The boat was reported to be overloaded.
Swede Flies to Phuket, Dies One Day LaterThe director of the rescue operation, Nithipat Mongkonpradit, said the tourists had begun to panic before help arrived.
The captain of the Laleena radioed an SOS, the large dive boat Pet Palin responded to the call for assistance, and 32 expat tourists plus crew were transferred safely to Koh Lanta.
The Laleena, a one-day tour boat, had carried the party from Trang to Phi Phi and was on a five-kilometre run to Koh Mhak when captain U-saman Hemla, 23, noticed that the vessel was taking water.
His call reached the Chao Fa centre in Krabi about 11.30am, and the Pet Palin responded.
Khun Nithipat, director of monitoring, control and surveillance at the the Krabi-based centre, said that a water pipe had burst in the on-board toilet, threatening a sinking.
All on the Laleena were believed to have been wearing life jackets.
The Laleena was the name of a guesthouse on Phi Phi where two young female tourists took sick and died in as-yet unexplained circumstances last year.
Three Singaporeans died and two are still missing in waters off Malaysia after an incident yesterday. With 24 other passengers, the five were making their way back to Singapore when their boat sank close to Mersing, Johor, about 1.30pm.
The boat was reported to be overloaded.
UPDATE Police are unable at this stage to determine the motive for the death of a young Swedish man who flew to Phuket on Christmas Day and was found hanged on Boxing Day.
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What happened to the boat ? Did it sink or were they able to rescue it ?
Posted by Chris on December 27, 2010 13:36
Editor Comment:
Still afloat, we're told