To the south of Thailand, where the confirmed death toll from two capsized boats has risen to 33. All of the dead are Chinese. About 90 people have been rescued, but 23 are still missing. The Chinese Foreign Ministry has activated an emergency response mechanism and officials are rushing to Thailand. But the search and rescue effort has been called off for the night and will resume in the morning. CGTN's Timothy Ulrich has the story.

One boat capsized in turbulent waters near Coral Island off the coast of Phuket in Thailand on Thursday afternoon after being hammered by five-meter waves whipped up by a storm. It was carrying 105 passengers, 93 of them Chinese. Most of the people on board were on a day trip to the island. Others were staff of a Chinese company and their families. Another boat carrying 42 people capsized off Koh Mai Thon. All of them have been rescued.

SOMJING BOONTHAM CAPTAIN OF CAPSIZED BOAT "PHOENIX" "After the first wave hit the boat, rubbish got into the drainage engine, so the drainage system was not fast enough to keep the boat steady. Then more waves hit rapidly, the boat leaned to one side and then it capsized."

Helicopters, police and fishing boats were deployed early Friday as the rescue mission restarted. Chinese President Xi Jinping urged the Foreign Ministry, the Chinese Embassy in Thailand and the government of Thailand to make all-out efforts to rescue the missing tourists. The Chinese Consulate General in Songkhla launched an emergency mechanism after the incident happened.

LI CHUNLIN, COUNSELLOR CHINESE EMBASSY IN THAILAND "We started operations throughout the night after the incident took place. The Foreign Ministry and other ministries also dispatched a joint working group to Phuket. They will arrive tonight. We've requested the Thai Rescue Command Center to make every effort to search and rescue our compatriots."

China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism also activated an emergency mechanism and told China's tourism office in Thailand to fully support the work of the Chinese consulate and embassy. The ministry said it would spare no efforts to help in the search for the missing tourists and ensure the well-being of the people rescued.