Remains of another ferry disaster victim found, in the sunken vessel

The body of another victim of Saturday’s Surat Thani ferry disaster have been located, trapped inside the sunken vessel. Divers in Surat Thani found the remains of the missing female crew member in the sunken Racha 4 ferry, but were unable to recover the body. The deputy commander of the Second Fleet said today that the divers found the victim trapped inside the toilet. He said that the steel toilet hatch is small and the body, already in an advanced state of decomposition, is large, making it impossible for divers to recover.

The latest victim has been identified as 40 year old Napatda Chanharn, of Isaan’s Maha Sarakham province, who worked as a saleswoman onboard the ferry. The search for 2 other missing crew members was called off late today, due to poor underwater visibility and bad weather. The 2 who remain missing have been identified as Thivakorn Watcharith, a crewman, and Chaicharn Laosap, a trailer truck driver.

The ferry capsized in rough seas about 5 nautical miles from its departure pier on Samui Island last Saturday night, with 16 people onboard, including 3 trailer truck drivers and a pickup truck driver. The trucks were carrying about 90 tonnes of compressed garbage, which was to be delivered to the mainland in Surat Thani province for disposal.

SOURCE: Thai PBS News