Jet ski crash in Phuket leaves Chinese man dead, another injured
A Chinese man lost his life in a jet ski crash in Phuket yesterday while another Chinese national sustained minor injuries.
The accident occurred in the waters off Patong Beach, in the Kathu district of Phuket, at around 2pm yesterday, January 14. The two injured Chinese men were identified as 33 year old Liu Hong Chao and 28 year old Lyu Zhifeng. A Chinese woman riding a nearby jet ski escaped unscathed.
The Thai jet ski rental operator, Boy, told DailyNews that the three Chinese tourists exceeded their scheduled return time for the jet skis. While searching for them, Boy witnessed Lyu Zhifeng crashing his jet ski into Liu Hong Chao’s jet ski.
Boy immediately rushed out on another jet ski to bring both men back to shore before calling medical staff from Patong Hospital.
Boy explained that a similar incident occurred in the area six or seven years ago due to strong winds and waves. However, he believed yesterday’s accident was caused by the tourists’ recklessness.
The Phuket Provincial Harbour Office reported that Bangkok Insurance would compensate the dead man’s family with 100,000 baht. However, officials did not disclose the compensation amount for the injured man.
This fatal jet ski accident follows two other major incidents in Phuket earlier this month. On January 5, a Thai parasailing assistant fell to his death while assisting a tourist off Karon Beach. On Monday, January 13, a catamaran capsized in Phuket waters, though all 33 Chinese tourists and five Thai crew members on board were rescued.
The string of accidents raised concerns within the tourism industry, with fears that they could impact the confidence of Chinese and other foreign tourists in visiting Phuket.
In addition to these incidents, the ongoing abductions and robberies of Chinese nationals further damaged Thailand’s reputation as a safe tourist destination.
The Than Settakij news agency interviewed a representative from the Thai Travel Agent Association, who predicted that the number of Chinese tourists might decrease by 10 to 20 per cent during the upcoming Chinese New Year in February.
According to MGR Online, travel agencies in Shanghai reported that 30 per cent of their clients had cancelled their travel packages to Thailand in recent weeks.
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