Phuket (AP) — Divers who entered the wreck of a tour boat that sank in a storm off Phuket island described heartbreaking scenes of bodies of children found in the arms of their mothers, as the search continued Saturday for 15 mostly Chinese tourists missing in a disaster that has left dozens dead.
The death toll from Thursday’s tragedy climbed to 41, in Thailand’s biggest tourist-related disaster in years. It was not clear how many of the dead and missing were Chinese. In announcing a previous death toll of 33, authorities said all of those victims were Chinese.
“It’s very difficult to see … it’s traumatic, it’s tragic but the best thing to do, our job as divers, is to bring back the bodies to their families,” diver Philip Entremont told reporters before resuming the search Saturday.
The boat, with 105 people, including 93 tourists, capsized and sank after it was hit by 5-meter waves.
The death toll jumped Friday after the navy sent divers to the wreck. In images shortly after the sinking, rescued people sat in large rubber life rafts surrounded by churning seas.
Phuket Gov. Norraphat Plodthong announced at a news conference on Saturday evening that the death toll had climbed to 41, with 15 missing.
Chinese President Xi Jinping called for all-out search and rescue efforts, telling the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Chinese diplomats in Thailand to take greater measures, and also urging Thai authorities to spare no efforts.
