PATTAYA – Fourteen passengers and crew were rescued after a chartered boat capsized off the coast of Pattaya on Friday. The skipper was found unconscious but alive and was brought ashore for urgent medical treatment.
The Pattaya charter boat, carrying 12 Thai tourists, sank near Koh Man Wichai, about 20 kilometres from Pattaya city in Chon Buri. The accident happened after the vessel was hit by strong waves and high winds.
Natthawut Sihamat, 28, said he and 11 relatives had travelled from Bangkok and hired the fishing boat from the skipper, Suphat Juyaem, known as “Tai Lek”. They planned a trip to Koh Man Wichai, a small island about 11 kilometres south-west of Koh Lan, and boarded the boat at Laem Bali Hai pier at around 7 am.
At about 9 am, while the boat was heading out to sea, the skipper went below deck to fix the engine, saying the bilge pump had failed. As he worked on it, strong waves and gusting wind hit the vessel.
The boat turned sideways to the swell, then a powerful wave struck the port side, causing it to list sharply and sink quickly.
Mr Natthawut said he tried to help everyone grab anything that would float as the boat went under. The group remained in the sea for more than seven hours. Another passenger, Yongyut Decharasamee, said not everyone had a properly fitted life jacket, and some passengers could not swim.
Four people, including a young girl, decided to swim towards Koh Man Wichai to get help. The others, among them the skipper and two young boys, stayed in open water and clung to debris until rescuers arrived.
Mr Yongyut said he drifted for hours before he managed to reach Koh Man Wichai, where he met the four who had arrived earlier.
The Chon Buri Maritime Enforcement Command Centre (Thai-MECC) said the first alert came at 1.33 pm through a marine rescue Line group and the 1465 emergency hotline.
Thai-MECC sent patrol vessel 4008 to search the area and coordinated with nearby boats in rough seas. Officials asked all vessels in the vicinity to report any survivors or floating debris to the 1465 hotline without delay.
At about 5.30 pm, rescue teams reported that all those missing, including the skipper, had been found and pulled from the water. One person was unresponsive but still had a pulse. All survivors were transferred from inflatable rescue boats and taken back to shore.
Authorities later corrected initial reports that 13 people were on board, stating that 14 had been on the vessel: the skipper, deckhand, and 12 passengers. All passengers survived. Mr Suphat, however, had taken in a large amount of water and lost consciousness before being rushed to the hospital.
Officials said a full inquiry is underway into the cause of the sinking and the safety equipment carried on the boat.
