Terror at sea as Thai tourist ferry sinks

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Thai rescuers on Monday recounted frantic efforts to pluck terrified survivors from the sea after a crowded tourist ferry sank, leaving six dead, including three foreigners.

The tragedy raised new questions about safety standards in Thailand, which drew a record 22 million tourists last year but is struggling to shake off a reputation for lax regulation.

Three Thais, one person from Hong Kong and two other unidentified foreigners were among the dead, according to officials in the tourist resort of Pattaya, around 150 kilometers southeast of Bangkok.

The double-decker ferry sank on Sunday afternoon near Koh Larn, a small island popular with day-trippers from Pattaya, a popular beach resort renowned for its racy nightlife.

"The boat went down in minutes. I saw people - some with life jackets, some without - in the water. One man was holding on to a gas cylinder. They were all panicking, shouting for help," said a local dive guide who was one of the first on the scene.

Police said that apart from the six dead, all of the 150 to 200 others on the boat were believed to have been rescued. Nineteen people were injured.

Accidents involving boats, buses and other forms of public transport are common in Thailand, where safety standards are generally poor.

In recent years Thailand's tourist-friendly image as the "Land of Smiles" has also been tarnished by political violence, crimes against foreigners and devastating floods, but visitor numbers continue to rise.

Diplomats from China and the European Union have voiced concern at the number of incidents involving their tourists.

In May more than 100 people were rescued from a tourist ferry that began to sink in rough seas near the tourist island of Phuket.

Two Chinese tourists were killed and several others injured in August when a speedboat in which they were traveling crashed in Pattaya.

Last month an Indian woman died when a boat propeller struck her head while she was parasailing on her honeymoon in the same resort.

Other high-profile safety incidents in the kingdom include a fire at a nightclub in August 2017 on the island of Phuket that left four people dead, including two foreigners.

About the broadcaster:

Anne Ruisi is an editor at China Daily online with more than 30 years of experience as a newspaper editor and reporter. She has worked at newspapers in the U.S., including The Birmingham News in Alabama and City Newspaper of Rochester, N.Y.