Thai boat disaster: 122 Chinese nationals onboard

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01:39

Updated at 12:00 p.m. BJT‍

Search and rescue teams have found three bodies off the coast of Phuket, a local official said on Tuesday. The identities of the bodies are still to be confirmed.

Updated at 5:01 p.m. BJT

A total of 122 Chinese nationals were on board when the accident happened. 75 of them have been rescued, and six others are still unaccounted for.

41 bodies been retrieved.

China’s joint working group has been closely working with Thai authorities to run the search and rescue operation, said Hua Chunying, spokesperson of Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs during a press conference on Monday.

The operation won’t stop until every passenger’s location is verified, Hua added.

Updated at 2:55 p.m. BJT

Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha visited Phuket and held a press conference to brief on the latest development regarding the boat accident.

Prayuth said that he would visit the injured tourists and families of the victims at the local hospital, and the Thai government will work together with China to deal with the current issue.

Updated at 11:35 a.m. BJT

Five passengers among the 11 listed as missing in the Phuket boat sinking accident might "still be alive," but their identities need to be verified, according to the latest morning briefing by Thai officials.

The fate of the other six passengers remains unclear, the officials said, and they put the death toll still at 41, among which 37 bodies have been identified.

The search and rescue operation continues. Local authorities have set up liaison stations and a service center to help family members of the dead and injured with aftercare issues.

On Sunday afternoon, Chinese consul-general in Songkhla Zhou Haicheng visited families of the deceased at a local hospital, and vowed all-out efforts in rescue and support work.

Chinese consul-general in Songkhla Zhou Haicheng visited families of the deceased at a local hospital, July 8, 2018./CCTV photo

July 8 (Updated at 1:40 p.m. BJT)

Forty-one Chinese nationals have been confirmed dead after two ships carrying mostly Chinese passengers capsized off southern Thailand's Phuket island.

At least 42 people, including 41 Chinese nationals, were killed, and 14 remain missing, Thai authorities confirmed at a news conference on Sunday, adding that one body was spotted inside the hull but has not yet been recovered.

News presser on the recent Thai boat accident /CCTV Photo

Watch live: Developments in search for sunken Thai boats

Updated at 1:00 p.m. BJT

Search and rescue operations are still underway after two boats capsized in a storm off southern Thailand's Phuket island on Thursday night, killing at least 42 people.

Two Chinese rescue teams, one from the Ministry of Transport with 12 members and another from an organization based in east China's Zhejiang Province, arrived in Phuket on Sunday, and joined the search for the missing passengers along with Thai rescuers.

Police on Saturday said they have charged the captain of the sunken ship Phoenix with negligence leading to damages, injury and death.

The captain, who was not identified by the police, has denied the charges.

The Thai government will spare no effort in investigating the cause of the incident and will keep searching for the missing tourists, officials said at a press conference held on Sunday.

00:31

Updated at 12:10 p.m. BJT

Preparations are underway to lift a sunken tourist boat that capsized in a storm off southern Thailand's Phuket island, killing at least 42 people.

The Phoenix – which had 105 people on board, including 93 Chinese tourists and 12 Thai crew – went down in rough seas on Thursday evening, in one of Thailand's worst recent accidents.

According to Phuket Governor Norraphat Plodthong, 14 people are still unaccounted for.

Divers have been searching inside the submerged vessel for survivors. Helicopters have also joined the search.

Search and rescue efforts have been boosted after a Chinese team joined the operations, said the governor.

Friends and relatives of the injured and deceased on Sunday began arriving in Phuket to identify their loved ones.

The Phoenix overturned in the Andaman Sea off the coast of Ko He, a popular one-day trip from Phuket.

A second boat carrying 42 passengers, also mainly Chinese nationals, capsized on Thursday evening, but all people on board were rescued.

Watch live: Thai rescuers ready to lift sunken tourist boat

‍(With input from Reuters, Xinhua)