I'm wondering just how qualified boat "captains" really are in Thailand and what kind of training they received. There has been collision after collision story - most resulting in injuries and often deaths. Boats are routinely grossly overloaded and without proper safety equipment. In this incident 150 passengers were on a nearly 50 years old boat and rated for a maximum of 50 passengers.
Often the boats were operating at speeds much too fast for conditions. It is not uncommon for whoever was driving the involved boat(s) to have been drinking. The sad part is nearly every one of these incidents could have been avoided.
It is, in my opinion, ridiculous that before boarding a boat in Thailand you better seek absolution first.
______________________________________________
13 dead in Ayutthaya boat sinking
by Soonthorn Pongpao and Post reporters
19 Sep 2016
AYUTTHAYA - At least 13 people are dead and many more are missing after a boat on a Muslim religious trip collided with a concrete flood barrier in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya district on Sunday afternoon.
The known victims were six women, six men, and a boy, he said, adding that rescue workers were struggling to find other, missing passengers but had no number.
Late Sunday evening, waiting family members of the boat passengers said many of those aboard had not been accounted for.
Rescue workers struggled to get the passengers, all of whom are Thai Muslims, to safety.
Deputy Ayutthaya governor Rewat Prasong, said it was believed more than 150 passengers were on board when the collision occurred at 3.15pm.
Thirteen people were confirmed drowned and 39 others were injured after the boat loaded with Muslim tourists sank in the Chao Phraya River.
The wooden boat hit a concrete pillar at the river embankment at Wat Sanam Chai in Ayutthaya's Muang district Sunday afternoon.
Sombat Mongkolchai Tabtim, the two-level tourist boat, was 27 metres long and, according to Marine Department authorities, was registered in 1967 to carry a maximum passenger load of 50.
A group of Thai Muslims from Talat Kwan community in Nonthaburi was on board the boat on the Chao Phraya River to attend an annual religious ceremony at a local mosque in Ayutthaya before the ferry hit the barriaer during their journey back.
At 4.10pm, Kris Thianmitraphap, secretary to the Ayutthaya mayor, ordered rescue boats and fire boats to rescue passengers who were on board the stricken boat.
The Marine Department brought a large ship to bring the sunken tourist boat back to the surface.
The lower level of the boat was about two metres below the river surface; the upper level was partially protruding, Mr Rewat said.
Mr Rewat said river currents in front of Wat Sanam Chai are usually strong. The tourist boat tried to avoid another boat on the river, causing it to veer away and hit an embankment at the temple.
Alarmed, more than 100 passengers suddenly stood up, causing the boat to list, take on water and sink, Mr Rewat said.
Marine Department director-general Sorasak Saensombat also said the strong river currents were partially to blame for the incident. The steerman was unable to control the boat, causing it to hit the embankment. Authorities believed some passengers were trapped stuck in the lower level of the boat, he said.
Mr Sorasak also said safety equipment on the boat may not have been sufficient for the passengers.
The steerman, identified as Wirat Chaisirikul, 68, is still missing, he added.
Annop Kudiphan, 50, who was among the passengers on board, said the ferry was carrying members of an annual religious ceremony to pay homage to Muslim religious teachers.
Passengers were on their way to attend the religious event at Takia Yokin mosque in tambon Khlong Takhian in Ayutthya's Muang district.
On the journey back to Nonthaburi, Mr Annop said the boat dropped off passengers at various piers.
While the boat was heading to a pier at the Ayutthaya Hospital, another vessel forced the tourist boat's steerman to veer away and hit a concrete pole of the river embankment at Wat Sanamchai, causing the boat to begin to sink, Mr Annop said.
Local residents also said a similar boat sinking also occurred about five to six years ago because of overcrowding.
Story and photos: http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general ... at-sinking
_______________________________________________________
Many killed in Chao Phraya boat tragedy
The Nation
September 19, 2016
At least 13 fatalities confirmed, dozens missing as overloaded boat rams into pole
A boat being used for a religious trip capsized in the Chao Phraya River yesterday afternoon, claiming at least 13 lives, injuring 19 others and leaving dozens of others unaccounted for.
The accident took place at around 4pm in Ayutthaya province, when the overcrowded Sombatmongkonchai boat smashed into a pole in front of the Sanam Chai Temple after avoiding a collision with a large cargo boat.
The vessel, designed to carry 50 passengers, had more than 150 passengers on board at the time of the accident, according to some estimates.
"Many passengers tried to jump out of the boat and scrambled towards the shore, which was about three to five metres away," Annop Kudeephan, a 50-year-old survivor, recounted.
He estimated that the boat must have been carrying more than 100 passengers at the time of the accident.
All the passengers had attended an annual Muslim ritual at the Takia Yokin Mosque in Ayutthaya earlier in the day. Police said rescue workers rushed to help passengers.
Among the deceased was a boy as young as three years old.
Ayutthaya Deputy Governor Rawat Prasong said rescue workers had difficulty searching for victims because the water currents were very strong. As of press time, the search operations had been halted because of heavy rain.
An informed source disclosed that the annual event at the Takia Yokin Mosque was a big one, with participants booking about 20 boats for the religious ritual.
Measuring about five metres wide and 27 metres long, the Sombatmongkonchai boat was registered under the name of "Sunthorn Phansuathong". An informed source said this was the second boat accident that had occurred involving people attending the Muslim ritual.
"About five or six years ago, a boat sank because of overloading," the source said.
Relevant authorities were yesterday trying to locate the leader of the Muslim group travelling on the boat.
The boat driver was identified as Wirat Chaisirikul, 68. As of last night, Wirat's fate was not known.
Marine Department secretary- general Sorasak Saensombat yesterday said a crane boat was brought to pull the capsized boat to the shore. He believed many people were still trapped on the boat. However, he believed there might have been a shortage of rescue equipment on board and driving the vessel could have been difficult amid the currents.
Story and photos: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/nationa ... 95640.html
Another boat collision in Thailand - 13 confirmed dead so far - many more missing
-
Gaybutton
- Posts: 21556
- Joined: Sat Jul 31, 2010 11:21 am
- Location: Thailand
- Has thanked: 2 times
- Been thanked: 1314 times
-
Gaybutton
- Posts: 21556
- Joined: Sat Jul 31, 2010 11:21 am
- Location: Thailand
- Has thanked: 2 times
- Been thanked: 1314 times
Re: Another boat collision in Thailand - 13 confirmed dead so far - many more missing
Updated information:
__________________
At least 15 people are dead and 10 are missing after a boat on a Muslim religious trip collided with a concrete flood barrier in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya district on Sunday afternoon.
The search for survivors and bodies resumed at first light Monday.
Ayutthaya government Prayoon Rattanasenee said that as of early Monday, the official death toll was 15. Another 46 people were injured, of whom 10 were in critical condition.
The search for 10 people still missing from the crash was under way.
Full story: http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general ... at-sinking
__________________
At least 15 people are dead and 10 are missing after a boat on a Muslim religious trip collided with a concrete flood barrier in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya district on Sunday afternoon.
The search for survivors and bodies resumed at first light Monday.
Ayutthaya government Prayoon Rattanasenee said that as of early Monday, the official death toll was 15. Another 46 people were injured, of whom 10 were in critical condition.
The search for 10 people still missing from the crash was under way.
Full story: http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general ... at-sinking
-
Gaybutton
- Posts: 21556
- Joined: Sat Jul 31, 2010 11:21 am
- Location: Thailand
- Has thanked: 2 times
- Been thanked: 1314 times
Re: Another boat collision in Thailand - 13 confirmed dead so far - many more missing
The toll has now risen to 18 dead, 7 still missing.
As for the 7 still missing, at this point it is most likely they too are dead. If that turns out to be the case, then the toll will be 25 dead and 46 injured - nearly half the people who were on the boat - 71 casualties on a boat that was not supposed to carry more than 50 people.
As for the 7 still missing, at this point it is most likely they too are dead. If that turns out to be the case, then the toll will be 25 dead and 46 injured - nearly half the people who were on the boat - 71 casualties on a boat that was not supposed to carry more than 50 people.
-
Gaybutton
- Posts: 21556
- Joined: Sat Jul 31, 2010 11:21 am
- Location: Thailand
- Has thanked: 2 times
- Been thanked: 1314 times
Re: Another boat collision in Thailand - 13 confirmed dead so far - many more missing
The death toll has risen to 20. The "captain's" license expired in November of 2015. He has been arrested.
Since the boat was rated to carry a maximum of 50 people, it's accident insurance will cover no more than 50 people, making further difficulties for the victims who may end up having to cover much of the costs themselves.
_________________________________________________
Driver of sunken river ferry charged
by Sunthon Pongpao
19 Sep 2016
AYUTTHAYA – The confirmed death toll from the river ferry boat that crashed and sank on Sunday rose to 20, with 12 still missing, search and rescue authorities said late Monday.
Twelve of the victims were women and girls, while three were men and two were boys, aged four and eight. Details of the other three victims were not immediately known.
The search teams said they had the identities of 12 people who were aboard the boat and unaccounted for. Others may also be missing.
Ayutthaya governor Prayoon Rattanasenee said of the 46 people treated for injuries, four were still in hospital as of Monday evening.
The official death toll continued to rise on Monday as divers located bodies trapped underwater, mostly inside the submerged section of the boat.
A burial ceremony is planned for 15 of the deceased at the Muslim graveyard in Ayutthaya, where they were members of the mosque. It is about two kilometres from the place where the ferry hit a concrete pillar on the embankment and sank in the Chao Phraya River in front of Wat Sanam Chai.
Police on Monday morning detained the ferry boat driver, 67-year-old helmsman Virat Chaisirikul.
Pol Col Napol Kladkhemphet, deputy commander of Ayutthaya police, said he had been charged with reckless driving causing death.
He also faces charges of carrying more passengers than the boat was permitted to carry. It was licensed for 50 passengers, but there were around 150 on board. His boat driving licence had also expired.
He was being held pending further questioning.
The boat’s owner Sunthorn Phansuethong had contacted the police, Pol C ol Napol said, and he would be questioned later. He would also be charged with carelessness causing death.
Police would cooperate with the Marine Department in investigating whether the boat was operating legally and carried the required life saving gear.
Malee Krayor, a Muslim from tambon Sampaolom of Muang district, took her six-year-old nephew, who had survived the sinking, back to the river on Monday. She said he wanted to look for his favourite shoes, which he had lost when the boat went down.
The boy and his mother were on the top deck of the boat and both were rescued after clinging to a pole.
Ms Malee said her relatives who were in the boat said the driver had tried to overtake a sand barge. The boat became unstable as it was buffeted by the strong river current. There was a loud noise as it hit something and then it sank in about one minute.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general ... ry-charged
_______________________________________________________________
Death toll rises to 20 in boat tragedy
The Nation
September 20, 2016
Eleven passengers still missing, vessel licensed to carry 50 but had over 100 on board
The death toll from Sunday's Chao Phraya River boat tragedy has risen to 19, as the search operation continued yesterday for at least 11 missing passengers.
Another 52 passengers are injured, one seriously.
The Sombatmongkoncha boat, which partially sank on a stretch of the river in Ayutthaya province, was licensed to carry only 50 passengers.
That means its accident insurance covers only 50 victims.
However, the number of passengers on the boat at the time of the accident is estimated at between 100 and 110.
As a result, both the families of the dead and those injured may have to file civil lawsuits to demand compensation.
Ayutthaya Governor Prayoon Rattanasenee yesterday handed over Bt5,000 basic financial assistance per death to affected families.
Yesterday, authorities extended the search for the missing passengers to a 10 kilometre radius from the accident site.
Four bodies were retrieved from the river yesterday.
One was an eight-year-old boy and another was a 13-year-old girl.
Most of the passengers were women and children.
The driver of the boat, Wirat Chaisirikul, 68, is facing charges of recklessness causing the deaths and injuries of others.
"He admitted that he was trying to overtake a sand barge when his boat struck a heavy object in the river and water poured in to the point that the boat tilted," Mueang Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Police Station superintendent Colonel Surapong Thampitak said.
Wirat told police that his boat had between 100 and 200 life vests but most passengers were not wearing one.
A police source said although Wirat had been driving a boat |for more than 30 years, his licence expired on November 4 last |year.
Deputy Police spokesman Maj-General Songpol Wattanachai said the boat was clearly overloaded, meaning Wirat also allegedly violated load-limit laws.
"We have already detained the boat driver," he said.
"Police are investigating further to determine whether his boss or the boat owner should face legal action too."
'Overloaded boats common'
Another Police deputy spokesman, Maj-General Piyaphan Pingmuang, said many boats operated overloaded during busy times.
The Sombatmongkoncha boat that crashed on Sunday afternoon was hired to ferry Muslims to an annual religious event at a mosque in Ayutthaya. The accident took place when the group was returning home.
Survivors said that after the boat tilted, its first level was submerged in about five minutes.
"It was not possible to help everyone in time," a survivor |said.
Public Health Minister Piyasakol Sakolsatayadorn said mental health crisis assessment and treatment teams would visit survivors and the families of the deceased.
Story and photos: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/nationa ... 95727.html
_________________________________________________________
Village sinks in grief as 14 victims of boat tragedy are buried
by Samrit Jeamcharoenpornkul and Thanapat Thongpaiwan
The Nation
September 20, 2016
A village in Ayutthaya province was in mourning yesterday as families buried 14 victims of Sunday’s boat tragedy.
"It's a big loss for Muslim people in Ayutthaya," lamented Jakkrit Senkhao, the imam of the A-Lee Yinnuroy mosque, which sits near the graveyard.
A number of local people took part in a religious trip to an annual Muslim event at the Takia Yokin Mosque on Sunday. But on their way back to the village, the twin-deck boat with 100 people on board, flipped to one side and they were thrown into the water.
The accident killed 19 people and injured dozens of others. Eleven people are still missing.
'I held her hands till last minute'
Saithong Boonlak, 54, survived the accident, but is traumatised at the loss of her daughter.
"I'm totally crestfallen, seeing my daughter gradually losing strength to hold on to the tilted boat and finally drowning," she said. "I held her hands till the very last minute. She drowned".
Saithong joined the fatal trip with her husband and their 16-year-old daughter. When the boat tilted, her husband who was in another part of the boat could not come to his family's aid.
Somchai Mahamad, one of the A-Lee Yinnuroy mosque's board members, said he was in charge of the Muslim pilgrims on the boat but the vessel sank too fast to rescue more people.
"I looked around and saw everyone scrambling for their life, some made it successfully towards the shore but some helplessly drowned. I saw everything but I didn't know how to help them all," he said.
Preecha Yimyoo, 33, is now praying that his mother and grandmother will be found safe.
"They are among the missing," he said, adding his aunt was also injured in the accident.
Sunee Krutarchat said that after the accident, she struggled desperately to find her sister. "I finally found her at a hospital but she passed away," Sunee said The mosque plans to hold merit-making ceremonies over the next three days in memory of the people who drowned.
The mosque and the hard-hit village are located in Tambon Sampao Lom, Muang Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya district. Sampao Lom can be roughly translated into "Sunken Junk".
Story and photos: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/nationa ... 95712.html
Since the boat was rated to carry a maximum of 50 people, it's accident insurance will cover no more than 50 people, making further difficulties for the victims who may end up having to cover much of the costs themselves.
_________________________________________________
Driver of sunken river ferry charged
by Sunthon Pongpao
19 Sep 2016
AYUTTHAYA – The confirmed death toll from the river ferry boat that crashed and sank on Sunday rose to 20, with 12 still missing, search and rescue authorities said late Monday.
Twelve of the victims were women and girls, while three were men and two were boys, aged four and eight. Details of the other three victims were not immediately known.
The search teams said they had the identities of 12 people who were aboard the boat and unaccounted for. Others may also be missing.
Ayutthaya governor Prayoon Rattanasenee said of the 46 people treated for injuries, four were still in hospital as of Monday evening.
The official death toll continued to rise on Monday as divers located bodies trapped underwater, mostly inside the submerged section of the boat.
A burial ceremony is planned for 15 of the deceased at the Muslim graveyard in Ayutthaya, where they were members of the mosque. It is about two kilometres from the place where the ferry hit a concrete pillar on the embankment and sank in the Chao Phraya River in front of Wat Sanam Chai.
Police on Monday morning detained the ferry boat driver, 67-year-old helmsman Virat Chaisirikul.
Pol Col Napol Kladkhemphet, deputy commander of Ayutthaya police, said he had been charged with reckless driving causing death.
He also faces charges of carrying more passengers than the boat was permitted to carry. It was licensed for 50 passengers, but there were around 150 on board. His boat driving licence had also expired.
He was being held pending further questioning.
The boat’s owner Sunthorn Phansuethong had contacted the police, Pol C ol Napol said, and he would be questioned later. He would also be charged with carelessness causing death.
Police would cooperate with the Marine Department in investigating whether the boat was operating legally and carried the required life saving gear.
Malee Krayor, a Muslim from tambon Sampaolom of Muang district, took her six-year-old nephew, who had survived the sinking, back to the river on Monday. She said he wanted to look for his favourite shoes, which he had lost when the boat went down.
The boy and his mother were on the top deck of the boat and both were rescued after clinging to a pole.
Ms Malee said her relatives who were in the boat said the driver had tried to overtake a sand barge. The boat became unstable as it was buffeted by the strong river current. There was a loud noise as it hit something and then it sank in about one minute.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general ... ry-charged
_______________________________________________________________
Death toll rises to 20 in boat tragedy
The Nation
September 20, 2016
Eleven passengers still missing, vessel licensed to carry 50 but had over 100 on board
The death toll from Sunday's Chao Phraya River boat tragedy has risen to 19, as the search operation continued yesterday for at least 11 missing passengers.
Another 52 passengers are injured, one seriously.
The Sombatmongkoncha boat, which partially sank on a stretch of the river in Ayutthaya province, was licensed to carry only 50 passengers.
That means its accident insurance covers only 50 victims.
However, the number of passengers on the boat at the time of the accident is estimated at between 100 and 110.
As a result, both the families of the dead and those injured may have to file civil lawsuits to demand compensation.
Ayutthaya Governor Prayoon Rattanasenee yesterday handed over Bt5,000 basic financial assistance per death to affected families.
Yesterday, authorities extended the search for the missing passengers to a 10 kilometre radius from the accident site.
Four bodies were retrieved from the river yesterday.
One was an eight-year-old boy and another was a 13-year-old girl.
Most of the passengers were women and children.
The driver of the boat, Wirat Chaisirikul, 68, is facing charges of recklessness causing the deaths and injuries of others.
"He admitted that he was trying to overtake a sand barge when his boat struck a heavy object in the river and water poured in to the point that the boat tilted," Mueang Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Police Station superintendent Colonel Surapong Thampitak said.
Wirat told police that his boat had between 100 and 200 life vests but most passengers were not wearing one.
A police source said although Wirat had been driving a boat |for more than 30 years, his licence expired on November 4 last |year.
Deputy Police spokesman Maj-General Songpol Wattanachai said the boat was clearly overloaded, meaning Wirat also allegedly violated load-limit laws.
"We have already detained the boat driver," he said.
"Police are investigating further to determine whether his boss or the boat owner should face legal action too."
'Overloaded boats common'
Another Police deputy spokesman, Maj-General Piyaphan Pingmuang, said many boats operated overloaded during busy times.
The Sombatmongkoncha boat that crashed on Sunday afternoon was hired to ferry Muslims to an annual religious event at a mosque in Ayutthaya. The accident took place when the group was returning home.
Survivors said that after the boat tilted, its first level was submerged in about five minutes.
"It was not possible to help everyone in time," a survivor |said.
Public Health Minister Piyasakol Sakolsatayadorn said mental health crisis assessment and treatment teams would visit survivors and the families of the deceased.
Story and photos: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/nationa ... 95727.html
_________________________________________________________
Village sinks in grief as 14 victims of boat tragedy are buried
by Samrit Jeamcharoenpornkul and Thanapat Thongpaiwan
The Nation
September 20, 2016
A village in Ayutthaya province was in mourning yesterday as families buried 14 victims of Sunday’s boat tragedy.
"It's a big loss for Muslim people in Ayutthaya," lamented Jakkrit Senkhao, the imam of the A-Lee Yinnuroy mosque, which sits near the graveyard.
A number of local people took part in a religious trip to an annual Muslim event at the Takia Yokin Mosque on Sunday. But on their way back to the village, the twin-deck boat with 100 people on board, flipped to one side and they were thrown into the water.
The accident killed 19 people and injured dozens of others. Eleven people are still missing.
'I held her hands till last minute'
Saithong Boonlak, 54, survived the accident, but is traumatised at the loss of her daughter.
"I'm totally crestfallen, seeing my daughter gradually losing strength to hold on to the tilted boat and finally drowning," she said. "I held her hands till the very last minute. She drowned".
Saithong joined the fatal trip with her husband and their 16-year-old daughter. When the boat tilted, her husband who was in another part of the boat could not come to his family's aid.
Somchai Mahamad, one of the A-Lee Yinnuroy mosque's board members, said he was in charge of the Muslim pilgrims on the boat but the vessel sank too fast to rescue more people.
"I looked around and saw everyone scrambling for their life, some made it successfully towards the shore but some helplessly drowned. I saw everything but I didn't know how to help them all," he said.
Preecha Yimyoo, 33, is now praying that his mother and grandmother will be found safe.
"They are among the missing," he said, adding his aunt was also injured in the accident.
Sunee Krutarchat said that after the accident, she struggled desperately to find her sister. "I finally found her at a hospital but she passed away," Sunee said The mosque plans to hold merit-making ceremonies over the next three days in memory of the people who drowned.
The mosque and the hard-hit village are located in Tambon Sampao Lom, Muang Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya district. Sampao Lom can be roughly translated into "Sunken Junk".
Story and photos: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/nationa ... 95712.html