Boat carrying Uzbek tourists sinks in Thailand (video)

A major maritime accident involving Uzbek tourists occurred near Phuket, Thailand. On January 11, the Korawich Marine 888 speedboat collided with a fishing trawler, sustaining serious damage, capsizing, and sinking. The incident claimed the life of 18-year-old Russian citizen Elizaveta Starikh.

Preliminary reports indicate that the boat carried 33 Russian citizens, along with passengers from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and several other countries. Twenty-three Russian citizens were hospitalized in Phuket for varying degrees of injuries and are receiving medical care.

Authorities in Phuket and Krabi are conducting an investigation into the incident.

Korawich Marine 888 operates mainly budget tours for Russian-speaking tourists, a factor that has previously affected service quality. The company’s boats have been involved in past accidents.

A total of 55 people were on board — 52 tourists and 3 crew members. Among the tourists were 33 Russians, 8 Kazakhs, 4 Uzbeks, 2 Kyrgyz, and the remainder from Poland and the United Kingdom. The boat’s hull was heavily damaged during the collision, leading to its sinking.

So far, Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not provided information about the condition of the Uzbek citizens injured in the accident.