Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha thanks all authorities, both Thai and Chinese, for having successfully recovered the bodies of all 47 victims who died on July 5 when the Phoenix dive boat capsized in a rough sea off Phuket, government spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd said this morning.
The body of the 47th victim stuck under the wreckage of the Phoenix was recovered on Sunday after several days of attempts involving Chinese officials and Thai authorities from the navy and other agencies.
According to Lt Gen Sansern, of the 46 bodies recovered previously, their identities have been verified. Thirty-nine bodies had been cremated in funeral ceremonies arranged for them in Phuket while seven other bodies flown to China.
Two insurance companies are to pay 1.1 million baht each for the relatives of the victims while the government will pay an additional 1 million baht each from the fund for assisting foreign tourists.
The tourists who were injured, both from the Phoenix dive boat and Sereniga tour boat accidents, are entitled to not exceeding 515,000 baht each in medical expenses, plus a sum of not more than 500,000 baht each from the government’s fund for assisting foreign tourists.
The prime minister has also instructed all concerned to take lessons from the accidents especially the enforcement of laws regarding safety measures of tour boats and other modes of transportation including airplanes, buses, vans, taxis and trains to uplift Thailand’s tourism standards.
