Phuket –
A five-year-old Russian girl was pronounced dead and a boat captain fell unconscious and was injured after a Phuket boat crash. Additionally, six foreign tourists and a boat crew member sustained various injuries after their speedboat in the same accident crashed with rocks near the Maithon Island in Chalong.
The Phuket Marine Office told the Phuket Express that emergency responders were notified of the accident at 3:20 P.M. on Sunday (December 31st). Rescue workers arrived at the scene to find the damaged speedboat.
The five year old Russian girl, whose name was withheld due to her age, was initially in a coma. The boat captain, Mr. Natthapong Kongwilai, 41, had fallen unconscious with severe facial injuries. Six other foreign tourists and the boat crew member Mr. Preecha Soison had sustained various injuries. They were taken back to the pier before being rushed to hospitals in Phuket. The Russian girl was later sadly pronounced dead at a local hospital.
The speedboat with seven foreign tourists had departed from the Chalong Pier in the morning to Phi Phi Island in Krabi. On the way back to Phuket, the speedboat had stopped at the Maithon Island in Chalong before the crash.
The accident was still under investigation as of press time.
This is a developing story.
