Speedboat flips, kills owner

KARON: Montri Chuernark, a 27-year-old boat-trip operator, was killed after his boat flipped over and he was hit by the propeller. He was the second person to be killed by a boat propeller in the Phuket area in just five days. Pol Capt Chana Sootthimat of Chalong Police Station told the Gazette that Montri had bought the second-hand speedboat two days before the accident. He was alone on the boat, apparently trying it out. Witnesses said that he had been driving up and down for about 20 minutes when the boat, which was about 100 meters out from the beach at Karon, flipped over. “We suspect it [flipped] because of the strong winds that day,” Capt Chana said. “Also, from what we have been able to find out, this was his first speedboat; he used to have a fishing boat.” People in other speedboats nearby rushed to help. They found Montri floating next to the boat, unconscious, his face slashed by the boat’s propeller. He was taken to Patong Hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival. Last Thursday, a German woman visiting Phuket was killed by the propeller of a boat while snorkeling off Koh Tachai, Phang Nga Province.