Death toll in Thailand boat tragedy rises to 18

Thai rescue teams search for victims after a boat capsized at Chao Phraya River in Ayuthaya Province, Thailand, Sunday, Sept. 18, 2016. (Dailynews via AP)

AYUTTAYA, Thailand—The death toll from Sunday’s Chao Phraya River boat tragedy has risen to 18, as the search operation continued yesterday for at least 12 missing passengers.

Another 52 passengers are injured, one seriously. The Sombatmongkoncha boat, which partially sank on a stretch of the river in Ayutthaya province, was licensed to carry only 50 passengers.

That means its accident insurance covers only 50 victims.  However, the number of passengers on the boat at the time of the accident is estimated at between 100 and 110.

READ: 13 dead in Thai river boat collision

As a result, both the families of the dead and those injured may have to file civil lawsuits to demand compensation.

Ayutthaya Governor Prayoon Rattanasenee on Sunday handed over 5,000 baht ($142) basic financial assistance per death to affected families.  Authorities extended the search for the missing passengers to a 10 kilometre radius from the accident site.

Three bodies were retrieved from the river on Sunday.  One was an eight-year-old boy and another was a 13-year-old girl.

Most the passengers were women and children.

The driver of the boat, Wirat Chaisirikul, 68, is facing charges of recklessness causing the deaths and injuries of others.

“He admitted that he was trying to overtake a sand barge when his boat struck a heavy object in the river and water poured in to the point that the boat tilted,” Mueang Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Police Station superintendent Colonel Surapong Thampitak said.

Wirat told police that his boat had between 100 and 200 life vests but most passengers were not wearing one.

A police source said although Wirat had been driving a boat for more than 30 years, his license expired on November 4 last year.

Deputy Police spokesman Maj-General Songpol Wattanachai said the boat was clearly overloaded, meaning Wirat also allegedly violated load-limit laws.

“We have already detained the boat driver,” he said.

“Police are investigating further to determine whether his boss or the boat owner should face legal action too.”

‘Overloaded boats common’

Another Police deputy spokesman, Maj-General Piyaphan Pingmuang, said many boats operated overloaded during busy times.  The Sombatmongkoncha boat that crashed on Sunday afternoon was hired to ferry Muslims to an annual religious event at a mosque in Ayutthaya.

The accident took place when the group was returning home.

Survivors said that after the boat tilted, its first level was submerged in about five minutes.

“It was not possible to help everyone in time,” a survivor said.

Public Health Minister Piyasakol Sakolsatayadorn said mental health crisis assessment and treatment teams would visit survivors and the families of the deceased.