Phuket sunken boat survivors recall horrific moment

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The death toll caused by the sunken boat in Phuket has risen to 42 with 14 still missing. The Chinese volunteer rescuers and submarine search experts from the Second Institute of Oceanography have joined the rescue.

Chinese volunteers have arrived in Phuket to join in the search and rescue. /VCG

Zheng Lanqing, a 57-year-old tourist from Jinhua city, east China’s Zhejiang Province is the only survivor of his 5-member family. He recalled in tears what he had experienced on July 5, a day parting his family from him.

“It was sunny when we sailed off. My daughter and son-in-law were on the second floor with their baby.” Zheng told Qianjiang Evening News, a Zhejiang-based newspaper and added “But it’s around four p.m. The weather had an abrupt change, and our boat was jolting strongly like a fish skipped and jumped. We were given life jackets around 20 minutes later, and a raft came near us. We were asked to jump onto the raft.”

Zhao Lanqing, 57, lost his wife, daughter, grandson and son-in-law during a sunken boat incident in Phuket. /Photo via The Paper

The chance of surviving was high in Zheng’s eyes, but he did not think the jump would separate him from his family for good. Zheng intended to jump together with his wife, but his wife told him to ensure his own safety first and asked him to jump to the raft. Zheng had thought she followed him, but the boat capsized and just left him with this memory of his family members.

However, according to the Qiangjiang Evening News, many children died in the accident because they were on the second floor where there was air conditioning, and there’s no time for them to leave immediately.

Huang Xiaofeng, a survivor from Haining city, east China’s Zhejiang Province felt fortunate that his son and wife did not follow him to board the “Phoenix” due to some discomfort though he was being hospitalized with slight injuries.

“The crew told us to stay inside and don’t move. When they asked us to escape, the stern had tilted down. Water submerged the cabin just one minute after I rushed out. A lot of people cannot vacate the boat because the water blocked the doors and windows, though they were wearing the life jacket,” Huang recalled the minutes that he experienced and questioned to the crew of the boat why they insisted on sailing off though they knew the weather was bad.

Huang Xiaofeng, a survivor from the accident. /VCG Photo

It was a vacation and the most joyous time for most of the tourists onboard, but now it turned out to be the most painful time for both the tourists and their family.

“I’ve to arrive in Phuket in the afternoon because my younger brother needs me now,” a man, surnamed Tang said in the exit and entry administration in Haining when he applied for a passport and visa to Phuket.

The Chinese ambassador in Thailand, Lyu Jian visits the injured in the sunken boat accident in Thailand. /VCG Photo

Tang’s younger brother survived the accident but his daughter did not, and his wife was still missing. Tang muttered over his younger brother’s trip.

“If he did not go on the trip, he could not encounter the disaster,” Tang mourned and said sadly “His daughter was only seven years old. She was living in Anhui Province with his grandparents. She just came to Haining in Zhejiang Province to live with their parents on July 2. I never dared to think...”

Thai rescue workers transfer the body of a victim after a boat capsized off Phuket Island. /VCG Photo

According to the Chinese Consulate-General in Songkhla, most of the Chinese tourists were on their self-guided trip when the accident happened. Thailand’s Ministry of Tourism and Sports said that over 800 divers had joined in the search and rescue, and aircraft and ships had also been dispatched to the operation.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for an all-out search and rescue efforts for Chinese tourists and urged Thai authorities to spare no effort in the search operation.