Rescue operation continues for missing persons in boat capsize

PHUKET, July 8 (TNA) - Rescue operation continues on Sunday to search for 15 people remain missing after a tour boat capsized near Phuket Island Thursday evening that killed at least 41 people. More bodies were retrieved on Saturday, bringing the number of confirmed dead to 41, in the tragic accident when the Phoenix with 105 people, mostly Chinese, on board, including 93 tourists, 11 crew members and one tour guide, sank three kilometers off Koh Hey Island. Thai Navy and Chinese divers were dispatched on ships Sunday morning to search for missing persons not only at the site but also nearby coastal areas of Krabi province as well as Lanta and Phi Phi islands.  Air Force, Navy and police helicopters have joined the search and rescue operation. Phuket Governor Noraphat Plodthong said earlier that the search would cover the area around the wreck by a radius of 500 meters. More bodies are believed to be trapped in the tour boat which sits on seabed about 40 meters from the surface. Two naval ships have been sent to the site in a bid to turn the boat upright for recovering bodies.  Officials say divers reported some bodies trapped underneath the boat. Meanwhile, Government Spokesman Lt General Sansern Kaewkamnerd revealed that Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha would take an inspection trip to Phuket in order to coordinate the operation and give moral support for the rescuers. The premier planned to review rescue operation and procedures undertaken to give compensations for the victims’ families, Lt General Sansern said. All retrieved bodies have been sent for autopsy by Forensic Police to identify the bodies.  Thai officials have worked with Chinese consular officials to expedite the process of identification and releasing of the bodies to their families. (TNA)