Terror at sea as Thai tourist ferry sinks

PATTAYA: Thai rescuers Monday recounted frantic efforts to pluck terrified survivors from the sea after a crowded tourist ferry sank, leaving six dead including three foreigners, as police searched for the captain who fled.

The tragedy raised new questions about safety standards in the kingdom, 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 kilometres (100 miles) 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. There was a body face down in the water. They were all panicking, shouting for help," said a local dive guide who was one of the first on the scene.

"We pulled 60 people from the water, including a Russian boy. We gave him CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) but he was in a very bad way," she said, asking not to be named.

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

"We don't expect to find any more dead. One Russian boy is seriously ill in intensive care," said Pattaya police chief Colonel Suwarn Chiewnawintawat.

"The captain ran away. We will issue an arrest warrant for him," he said. "Divers will recover the boat today. We still don't know the cause."

Stunned tourists were seen being led to safety on shore on Sunday where they were met by dozens of ambulances along Pattaya's neon-lit beachfront. Medics performed emergency first aid on injured passengers.

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