Officials have relocated 41 bodies of the victims of the ill-fated tour boat Phoenix from Vachira Phuket Hospital to Wat Kosit Wihan, after all of them have been identified.
The announcement was made by Director of the Police General Hospital, Pol Lt Gen Dr Witoon Nitiwarangkul, who said the Royal Thai Police will soon establish a committee responsible for determining which bodies can be returned to their families.
The Phuket Provincial Administrative Organization has established three One Stop Service centers to screen the relatives of the victims, register the wounded and the deceased. The centers also arrange meetings for victims and families to meet with Chinese officials, representatives from insurance companies and administrative officers. The centers are also managing the return of the bodies to their homelands. One of the three centers is at Vachira Phuket Hospital.
Meanwhile, authorities have established a center in Phuket International Airport to facilitate the transportation of the bodies back to their countries. Relatives of the victims are urged to contact the immigration office at the airport, where officials will quickly process their passports and help them contact and reach one of the three One Stop Service centers. A translator will also be provided for each family.
Various mobile phone operators are also providing free services to the families of the victims to communicate with authorities back in China.
