Hong Kong resident dies in Thailand tourist boat accident
Another Hongkonger in hospital after accident off Koh Samui
A woman from Hong Kong has died in a boat accident in Thailand, in which another Hongkonger was injured. The pair were understood to be a couple, both aged 30.
Rescuers were still searching for a British man who went missing after the boat flipped over near the popular tourist island of Koh Samui on Thursday.
Thanakorn Pattananun, head of the island’s tourist police, said the woman’s body was “found at 10.30am [local time, Friday] some 500 metres from the accident site.”
The man suffered scratches in the accident. He was treated and discharged from a local hospital.
A team of 50 rescuers in seven boats were scouring the area for the British man, said Thanakorn.
The Immigration Department said it was trying to verify if the body found was the missing woman, and it was understood that her relatives were heading to Koh Samui on Friday afternoon.
The boat, carrying 32 foreign tourists and four crew, hit waves and capsized while travelling from a national park on Thursday afternoon.
As well as the Hongkonger, a British woman, 28, and a German woman, 29, drowned, according to Paiboon Omark, a district chief on the island.
He said the boat was only a few metres from the pier when it capsized.
Paiboon added police were holding the Thai captain of the Angthong Explorer who was later charged with negligence leading to deaths and injuries.
Four other tourists were in hospital in Bangkok, including a British woman and an Australian man.
Two more tourists – a Romanian woman and a German man – were being treated on the island.
The UK foreign office confirmed the death of a British woman and said it was assisting her family.
A spokeswoman said they were aware of another British national in hospital, but did not make reference to a third citizen.
“We remain in contact with local authorities in Thailand for further information,” she said.
Tourism is a key source of revenue for Thailand, but accidents involving tourists are common in a country where safety regulations are often weakly enforced.
In January a speedboat struck and instantly killed a French tourist while she was snorkelling in waters reserved for swimmers off a Thai island in Krabi province.
