Boat collision kills two Chinese tourists

The collision between two fully loaded speedboat ferries on Wednesday near Thailand's famous tourist destination Phi-Phi Island, killed two Chinese tourists and injuring 34 others, and was the second fatal boating accident in Southern Thailand within four days.

The two boats, Chor Hongfa 20 traveling from Phuket to Ao Phangnga in Phangna and Chollakit 856 traveling from Phuket to Phi-Phi island in Krabi, carrying 62 Chinese and South Korean tourists, collided in the Hin Musang area at around 11:45 am.

The two dead Chinese passengers, one male and one female, and most of the injured were on the Chollakit 856, which sank after the collision.

According to the Phuket Consular Office under the Chinese Consulate General in Songkhla, seven Chinese tourists were receiving treatment at four local hospitals in Phuket at Wednesday night, including two who were seriously injured.

The Chinese tourists involved in the accident were mainly from Chongqing and Wuhan.

The Chinese consular office in Phuket said it was working closely with related travel agencies, local police and hospitals in order to protect the rights of Chinese travelers and properly handle the aftermath. Representatives from the Thailand Authority of Tourism will go to Phuket to offer assistance on Thursday.

It was the second fatal boating accident involving tourists in less than a week. On Sunday, 28 people were injured when a speedboat carrying passengers back from an evening music concert on the island of Koh Samet smashed into a container ship.