Raising the Pheonix – An unimaginable horror

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The tour boat Phoenix, which sank with the loss of 47 Chinese lives of the coast of Phuket, was the worst Thai sea disaster in memory. CGTN correspondent Martin Lowe has followed the tragedy from the beginning.

The horror of how so many died is hard to imagine. People were trapped inside the Phoenix's main cabin, as the seawater poured in. The life jackets they'd hoped would save them, instead forced them to float upward to the cabin roof, far away from doors and exits.

As the boat sank stern first, they were pinned to the ceiling – drowning as the cabin filled with water and the last of the air was forced out. Mothers held their children in their arms as they gasped for breath. They died together. That was how they were found by divers hoping for survivors but finding only bodies.

Many divers went down time and time again. Others told me they could face it only once, as the sight of dead children was particularly distressing.

Divers work on the sunken boat. /CGTN Photo

One was a former British soldier, Dave Wilson, who now lives in Phuket. He said it was the worst thing he'd seen in 30 years as a diver. Deep underwater he was passed by the lifeless body of a small child. "He was the same as my son, about 2-and-a-half years old," said Wilson.

"Small child's life jacket, wearing a little pair of socks – it was just like looking at my own son … it was horrible," he said. "As he was coming up I said a prayer in Thai – that's what I'm used to now, it's the Buddhist way – then I held the boy and gave him a cuddle."

The child's mother had been found with her arms clasped around her young son. Her body was passed up moments later.

At first, Dave was too angry at what he'd seen to give me an interview; he said he wouldn't be able to control his feelings or stop himself from swearing on camera. But a day later he wanted people to know what had happened.

The Phoenix sank in a storm off the island of Phuket on July 5. Of the 101 people on board, 47 – almost half – perished. All were Chinese holidaymakers. Children, moms and dads, family members – they had gone for a day of sunbathing and snorkeling at a nearby scenic spot.

The Phoenix is turned from lying on its side to an upright position. /CGTN Photo

What they didn't know was that storms had been forecast and boats were warned not to put to sea.

It took many days for all the bodies to be recovered. Most had been trapped in the cabin but others had been flung into the sea. Some were found face down in the water, still wearing their life jackets, many kilometers from the wreck. The final passenger's body was discovered pinned to the sea floor by the hull of the boat.

Those who survived had to thank a flotilla of small craft that rushed to the scene despite the raging seas and hauled people from the water. Among them was Huang Junxiong, on holiday from southern China.

Propped up in his hospital bed with a smashed hand after being hit by flying debris, he said: "The waves were really high and stormy, they were hitting the boat constantly. I was with my sister, brother and two friends from school ... all of them are dead."

Josh in diving gear. /CGTN Photo

But the tragedy wasn't over yet – it still had one more life to claim.

Investigators wanted to recover the wreck of the boat from the seabed as there were questions about its seaworthiness.

It proved a mammoth task. The boat was lying in 45 meters of water, too deep for most divers. And police wanted it raised intact so that evidence could be preserved.

In the painstaking operation that followed, a Thai diver lost his life. Nipat Kladnak, known as Josh, was 38 years old. He was someone who knew the area well, and had been the man who first found the Phoenix on the bottom after the boat had sunk. From that moment he was key to the operation.

At first, he dived to look for survivors, then for bodies and then for lost possessions to be returned to grieving families.

Nipat Kladnack, who died in the recovery operation. /CGTN Photo

I met Josh during that period. He was modest about his role.

Josh dived almost daily while a plan was formulated for the Phoenix to be re-floated and brought to the surface. But during rough weather, at the stern of the recovery vessel, as it heaved and rolled, he fell. It's thought he may have struck his head and fallen unconscious into the sea.

Josh was quickly pulled back aboard and fellow divers tried to resuscitate him. But arriving at the hospital he was pronounced dead. Just days after he died, Josh's wife gave birth to their first child – a son he never saw.

In his diary, Josh had written: "I am so glad to be a part of the rescue mission, actually to help taking bodies out of the wreck.

Josh's diary in which he wrote of his pride at finding the Phoenix. /CGTN Photo

"It is doing a good thing without using money but with my ability and my heart. Most importantly, I am especially proud of myself that I was the first one who found the wreck. I went there alone and found it and that has made the recovery mission possible."

His death had a huge impact on the original recovery team, but they dedicated the operation to their lost friend.

Team leader Ittipol Onnomwetchakit said: "We want the Chinese people to know how much effort has been made to bring up the boat in one piece."

"If there is evidence that something was wrong, we want the police to be able to find it."

The son diver Josh never saw. /CGTN Photo

Three more divers suffered decompression sickness – knows as "the bends" – from staying underwater too long. One had to stay in the hospital for a month, the others, two weeks each.

All had needed to be placed in special decompression chambers, though thankfully all three have since recovered.

The sinking of the Phoenix is Thailand's worst marine disaster in memory. It led to checks on 400 tourist boats operating at Phuket – half were found to be below the required safety standard; 30 were ordered out of the water altogether.

Many hope this awful tragedy will be a wake-up call, leading to greatly improved safety measures for all tourist activities across Thailand.

(Cover: The dive boat involved in early attempts to raise the Phoenix. /CGTN Photo)