Thailand sets up investigation into sunken boats

Previous report

Rescuers in Thailand deployed helicopters and divers on Friday to search for survivors after two boats with a total of 127 Chinese tourists on board capsized in a storm off the country's southern resort island of Phuket on late Thursday afternoon.

At least 16 Chinese tourists died in the accident, 33 others were missing and the remaining 78 Chinese travelers had been rescued, according to the Chinese embassy in Thailand.

Norraphat Plodthong, the governor of Thailand's Phuket province, put the death toll at 33 and said 23 others were still missing as of Friday night, without clarifying how many of those were Chinese.

President Xi Jinping called for all-out efforts from the Chinese Foreign Ministry and the embassy and consulates in Thailand, as well as the Thai government and related authorities, to search for and rescue the missing Chinese and treat the injured.

He also called for more timely risk warnings for tourists during summer,when many people travel and flooding and rain are more common.

Premier Li Keqiang also urged more efforts to protect the safety of Chinese traveling abroad and to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens.

Thailand Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha expressed his condolences on Friday to the families of those who died in the accident, and said the government will "exert all efforts to find those still missing and provide support to all survivors of this tragic event", The Associated Press reported.

A joint work team composed of officials from the Chinese Foreign Ministry, the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism was heading to Phuket. A team of 10 Chinese rescuers, with light diving equipment, was to arrive in Phuket on Saturday morning to participate in the rescue work, according to the Ministry of Transport.

"What is imperative is to search for the missing," said a statement on Friday from the Chinese embassy in Thailand. "We ask the Thai side to mobilize all possible forces and waste no time in searching for the Chinese citizens who are still missing."