PATTAYA – A boat capsized in the middle of the Pattaya Sea, Nong Prue Subdistrict, Bang Lamung District, Chonburi Province, at 6:00 p.m. Saturday. A rescue team from Sawang Boriboon Thammasathan Pattaya City was dispatched after receiving word that several people had been injured.
They rushed to the beach near the accident with marine rescue staff from the Marine Department, Pattaya Police Station officials, and tourist police officers.
The tourists were floating in the middle of the sea at the time. The officials then dispatched a boat to help everyone get out of the water and to the shore. The passengers were 26 foreigners, 2 Thais, and 1 Thai driver. Six of these people were injured. Rescuers provided first aid before bringing them to the hospital.
The boat involved in the accident was a catamaran named Sea Beach, carrying 45 passengers, lying on its side in the middle of the sea. Officials are preparing to find a way to salvage the wreckage and return it to shore on Sunday.
Mr. Adisorn Wannabut, 28, a tourist on the boat, stated that the boat had sailed from Koh Larn prior to the accident. The boat faced high waves and heavy gusts not long after leaving the shore. It tilted down as water poured into the hull. The boat’s crew then gave life jackets for the passengers to hurriedly put on.
The boat’s captain, Sompot Pomthong, 56, explained that the boat was tilting because a piece of machinery on the left side had broken free, causing the boat to lean downward. The bottoms of the catamaran are parallel. If the mounts on both sides of the catamaran become loose, the boat will tilt to one side. Since the other side of the catamaran was still supporting the hull, the boat did not sink.
Police officials later questioned the captain of the boat about whether the boat had been examined before usage. They will also request that experts inspect the boat in order to determine the cause of the accident.
It is considered fortunate that everyone survived safely.
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