Boat carrying a Bangkok school group sinks at Chumpon pier
A boat carrying up to 40 schoolchildren has sunk after hitting underwater rocks next to a pier in Chumpon province last Monday.
The vessel “Mattha” was carrying around 50 people, including the group from a school in Bangkok on a snorkelling day trip around the nearby islands. But when the boat returned later in the day, the tide was out and it hit rocks.
The rocks punctured a hole in the boat causing it to start sinking. Around 50 people including pupils, teachers and the boat’s crew fled as the boat started sinking and lurching to startboard .
The vessel was operated by Siam Catamaran Tours.
A police source said the children were ”very fortunate” to get off the boat without injury.
”They were lucky that they were at the pier and they got off quickly. Boats should all have systems to detect the depth of the water so questions need to be asked about why the boat sank in what is a busy pier used every day.”
SOURCE: Viral Press
