AYUTTHAYA — Rescue workers pulled three more bodies from the Chao Phraya River on Monday morning as they continued searching for missing passengers from yesterday’s boat accident.
As of Monday morning, 18 people were confirmed dead, 45 injured and nine still missing after a two-level vessel carrying more than 100 passengers crashed into a concrete berm at Wat Sanamchai and then sank late Sunday afternoon.
Most were Muslims returning from a mosque, according to city official Krit Teinmittrapap.
Read: 13 Dead, 39 Injured When Boat Goes Down in Chao Phraya
Boat operator Wirat Chaisirikul told police that he rented the boat in Nonthaburi province and was heading to a mosque in Ayutthaya. Wirat said he wasn’t familiar with the route, so the boat crashed into the berm under strong wind conditions.
Wirat was charged with fatal recklessness, according to the Col. Surapong Thampitak of Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Police Station.
