At least one person has died and 21 others were injured after a tourist boat sank in the Andaman Sea near Thailand’s Phi Phi Islands following a collision with a fishing vessel.
The crash happened at about 8:55 a.m. local time on Sunday, Jan. 11, according to The Bangkok Post, TACC and Thairath Online, citing the Provincial Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Office in Phuket.
Officials said the tourist boat was carrying 52 passengers and three crew members. One passenger was reported in critical condition and later died. Thairath Online identified the victim as 18-year-old Elizaveta Starykh, a Russian tourist.
Two rescue boats rushed to the scene and helped passengers and crew members reach safety, The Bangkok Post reported.
In a statement to TACC, Yegor Ivanov, the Russian Consul General of the Thai island province, said preliminary information indicated there were 33 Russian citizens on board, along with travelers from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and other countries.
Local authorities in Phuket and Krabi are investigating what led to the collision. Ivanov added that consulate staff are working with medical personnel, law enforcement and local officials to assist those affected.
The tourist company that owned the boat primarily caters to Russian tourists, TACC reported, citing a local source.
