Tour boat propeller kills crewman

CHALONG: A crewman on a dive boat was killed when a propeller slashed open his stomach and almost severed his limbs on Wednesday off Koh Racha Yai. While recreational divers took a midday break, the crewman, Witaya Taktin, 25, had donned scuba gear and gone under the boat in order to clean the propeller. The boat, the Ladawan 2, had been tied to a fishing boat but when the fishing boat left, the dive boat began to drift toward rocks. The skipper of the boat, it is understood, banged on the boat ladder to warn his crewman to come up. Shortly after, he started the engines and engaged the propeller. The crewman was sucked into the propeller, receiving severe injuries. Attempts to keep him alive until he could be brought to hospital were in vain. The skipper was arrested.