PHUKET: A 12-year-old European child is missing after fire destroyed a large ferry off Krabi this afternoon with another 117 people on board reported to have escaped safely.
The girl was in the toilet when the blaze erupted and quickly burned the boat to the waterline.
The Ao Nang Princess 5 was about 10 kilometres off the coast of Ao Nang in Krabi province when the blaze broke out.
Fishing trawlers and speedboats saw the smoke and responded, plucking scores of tourists from the water.
Chief Inspector Lieutenant Panya Deatsupa of the Marine Police in Krabi said the ferry made regular trips from Phuket to Krabi and back again.
”The fire broke out about 3.30pm as the vessel was returning to Phuket. The boat later sank about 6pm.”
A search was continuing for the 12-year-old. Authorities are hoping she has been carried to safety but her rescuers are unaware she has been reported missing.
”We hope she is still alive,” said the Director of Marine Office 5 for the region, Wichai Kamwong. ”The ferry burned with remarkable speed so to have the speedboats and fishing trawlers close by to help was wonderful.”
With the boat now at the bottom of the ocean, plans were also being made to dive to the wreckage.
The girl’s parents told the rescuers that the girl had gone to the toilet on the ferry just before the blaze erupted.
The Governor of Krabi, Songpol Sawattham, went to Ao Nang, a popular hopping off point for Phi Phi, Phuket, Koh Lanta and other islands, as passengers from the sunken vessel milled on the shore.
Officials were trying to arrange for buses to transfer the rescued passengers back to accommodation in Phuket this evening.
Almost all the 107 passengers are reported to have been rescued by nearby boats and the Marine police. There were two exceptions – one person dead and a 12-year-old girl who is missing.
Divers are now looking to see if they can find the girl.
The fire broke out at 3:30 pm in the ferry, which belongs to Ao Nang Travel Tour Co.
Carrying 117 passengers – 107 adults and 10 children – the ferry reportedly left Koh Phi Phi and was heading for Nopparatthara Beach near Ao Nang when the fire broke out near Koh Met.
Krabi Marine Police, Krabi Marine Office, Nopparathara Park officers and 10 fishing and speed boats rushed to the scene and rescued passengers, taking them to Ao Nang, where rescue workers were waiting to ferry anyone injured to hospital.
In the event, none of those who were brought ashore were injured.
The skipper of the ferry, Capt Wirat, said there was an explosion in the engine room, after which he told passengers to put on life jackets. Other boats were on the scene fast, he said, and passengers were able to step from the burning ferry onto the other boats.
The fire burned the ferry to the waterline, after which it sank.
Officials are still checking the passenger lists to identify the missing girl and the dead person.