At Least 1 Dead, 21 Injured After Speedboat Sank Following Collision with a Fishing Ship

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, which cited Phuket’s Provincial Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Office.

Officials said the tourist boat was carrying 52 passengers and three crew members. The victim was initially reported in critical condition before later dying, the outlets reported. Thairath Online identified the deceased as 18-year-old Elizaveta Starykh, a tourist from Russia.

Two rescue boats were dispatched to the scene and brought passengers and crew members to safety, according to The Bangkok Post.

In a statement to TACC, Yegor Ivanov, the Russian Consul General for the Thai island province, said preliminary information indicated there were 33 Russian citizens on board, along with citizens of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and several other countries.

He added that police in Phuket and Krabi are investigating the incident and that consular staff, working with medical personnel, Thai law enforcement and local authorities, are assisting those affected.

A local source told TACC that the tour company operating the boat primarily serves Russian tourists.