A British vacationer is lacking in Thailand after the tour boat she was travelling on caught hearth off the island of Koh Tao.
Alexandra Clarke, 26, from Lambeth, south London, was onboard the Davy Jones Locker for a diving tour.
She was reportedly within the toilet when the blaze broke out, simply earlier than a misery sign was despatched at 9.25am native time.
There have been 21 different folks onboard, together with 15 vacationers, two crew members and 4 diving instructors and assistants.
They have been safely evacuated by non-public vessels and volunteers whereas a second staff of volunteers labored to place out the blaze. Thai authorities then found Clarke was lacking.
Capt Natthaphon Sinpoonphon, the deputy director of the Thai Maritime Enforcement Command Heart of Surat Thani, mentioned the boat was between 5 and 6 nautical miles away from the island when a hearth began within the engine room and “unfold by the boat quickly”.
He mentioned: “Preliminary reviews point out that the engine room, captain’s cabin and rear restroom have been broken. The precise explanation for the fireplace stays beneath investigation.”
It’s understood rescue groups have been initially unable to get near the boat due to the flames, as there have been fears of additional explosions from gas onboard the vessel.
Sinpunphol mentioned: “The search is constant for one lacking vacationer, a feminine, Alexandra Clarke, from the UK.
“The situations at sea are harmful with the wind and currents. All boats within the space have been notified. Search and rescue groups have been instantly mobilised.”
A spokesperson for the International Workplace informed the Guardian: “We’re supporting the household of a British girl who’s lacking in Thailand and are in touch with native authorities.”
A video shared on social media confirmed the boat engulfed in flames.
The Davy Jones Locker was reportedly transporting vacationers from Koh Tao, a small 21km² island that kinds a part of the Chumphon Archipelago on the western shore of the Gulf of Thailand, to a close-by diving website at Southwest Pinnacle.
In line with Padi, the Skilled Affiliation of Diving Instructors, the waters across the island present “steady situations” to understand rock and coral formations, in addition to titan triggerfish, sea snake, hawksbill and inexperienced turtles. Whale sharks, which eat small plankton and should not aggressive to people, may additionally cruise into the deeper pinnacles.
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