British woman missing after fire on diving boat off Koh Tao (video)
A British woman went missing yesterday after a fire broke out on a boat during her diving trip off Koh Tao, an island in the southern province of Surat Thani.
The fire on the diving boat, named David Jones’ Locker, was reported to Koh Tao Police Station at about 9am yesterday, March 16. The boat was carrying 22 people, including 16 tourists, two diving instructors, two diving instructor assistants, a boat driver, and two boat workers.
They were travelling from Koh Tao to a diving spot called Southwest Pinnacle, approximately 5-6 nautical miles from Koh Tao.
The boat driver was a 66 year old Thai man named Thawee, and one of the workers was a Burmese national named Tae. The Commander of Surat Thani Provincial Police, Sermphan Sirikong, reported today, March 17, that the blaze erupted when the Burmese boat worker was refilling the diving air tanks.
Two passing boats rescued the victims, but one of them, a 25 year old British woman named Alexandra May Clarke, went missing. A witness told the police that Clarke had entered a toilet shortly before the fire broke out.
Police suspect that she may have been trapped inside the bathroom when the incident occurred. The rear of the boat, including the engine room and bathroom, sustained the most damage.
A thorough investigation will be conducted once the boat has been confirmed safe from further explosions caused by oxygen tanks on board.
Officials will carefully tow the damaged boat back to the coast for investigation and to continue the search for the missing woman in the bathroom.
In recent reports of missing foreigners in Thailand, the parents of a 19 year old American man named Steven took to social media earlier this month to appeal for help in finding him. He was last seen cycling in the city centre of Phuket on February 17 and never returned home.
Another missing person case involved a 38 year old American woman named Nina Ng, who disappeared at sea off Phuket after a jet ski trip.
The jet ski was found floating in the sea near Patong Beach with her belongings still on board. A Thai boat driver reported seeing her jump off the jet ski and swim before her disappearance.
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