A ferry outside the Pattaya resort located on an island off Thailand tipped over Sunday afternoon killing six passengers, three of them foreign tourists – two Russian and one Chinese.
The double decker ferry, similar to the one pictured below, reportedly had between 100 and 200 passengers on board, depending on varying media reports, when it tipped over.
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Twelve others were injured
when the ferry capsized, CNN reported.
The Daily Mail reported that the ferry encountered engine trouble shortly after it departed, sending passengers flocking to the first deck which caused an apparent uneven weight distribution on the boat leading to it flipping over and eventually sinking.
"Witnesses said there were neither enough tubes nor life vests on
the ferry," Pattaya Police Colonel Suwan Cheawnavinthavat told the Daily Mail, adding that some who were unable to swim were found in the waters clinging to coolers, ice containers, and any other flotation devices they could find.
Col. Suwan added that the ferry, which was on a 30-minute trip when it capsized, was operating over its capacity of about 130 to 150 passengers.
In addition to the Russian woman, Russian man and Chinese man who died in the accident, two Thai women and one Thai man were also killed.
Among the injured was a 12-year-old Russian boy who was said to be in the local hospital's intensive care unit.
Local authorities are reportedly still searching for the ferry's captain as part of their investigation of the apparent accident.
There have reportedly been several fatal boating accidents this year with two Chinese tourists being killed in a speed boat accident off Pattaya's main pier in August while an Indian tourist was killed in the same area while parasailing in October.
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