Speedboat explodes whilst packed with tourists
AN EXPLOSION on a speedboat packed with tourists heading to Koh Phi Phi yesterday led to a fire that injured several people, including six who had to be hospitalised.
Twenty-six Chinese tourists, a Chinese tour guide, a Thai tour guide and three boat crewmembers, including the captain, were on the boat at the time. After the explosion, another speedboat rushed in to help victims. “We will take care of victims,” said Manassanan Mahima, a representative of Apple Tours, which chartered the boat. She said each injured victim would be eligible for up to Bt500,000 in compensation from insurance. “In events of deaths, the compensation is Bt1 million,” she added.
The boat left from Thai Morning Sun Pier in Phuket’s Muang district and was headed to Phi Phi Island when it exploded in front of the so-called “Viking Cave” in the popular tourist attraction. The cause of the accident is believed to have been a fuel leak. Injured people were taken to several hospitals as officials provided assistance to the victims.
Source: Nation
