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Phuket boat accident: Family’s only survivor tells harrowing story

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Chinese survivor tells of panic and chaos in Phuket boat tragedy

PHUKET: Mr Zheng Lancheng - the sole member of one family to survive a tour boat sinking in waters off Thailand last week - sat with a bag in his hand. Inside were clothes for his late wife, daughter, son-in-law and 18-month-old granddaughter, whose bodies are in a morgue.

Along with his granddaughter's clothing was a table tennis ball, her favourite toy when she was alive.

Last Thursday, the Zheng family were on one of two boats carrying a total of 127 Chinese tourists that capsized in a violent storm near the southern resort island of Phuket late that afternoon.

Of the Chinese tourists, 41 were confirmed dead, 78 have been rescued while the rest remain missing, according to the Chinese embassy in Thailand.

"My son-in-law didn't like travelling, and I had been to Thailand in 2014, so we two were reluctant to go at first. But my daughter persuaded my son-in-law and I was persuaded by my wife," Mr Zheng was quoted as saying by Meiri Renwu, a WeChat account operated by Boya Tianxia Media Group in Beijing.

At noon last Thursday, the family spent some time on two islands and returned to the boat around 4pm, with other tourists. The sky darkened about 10 minutes after the boat left the pier, but Mr Zheng said he didn't worry too much.

Half an hour later, the boat started shaking violently. He asked somebody where they were and found out that the boat had been in the same spot for the past half-hour.

Suddenly, the boat began listing heavily and he heard someone yell "Get out!" He quickly pulled his wife to the side of the vessel without thinking too much.

"It was rocking crazily and my wife fell down. Her knee started bleeding and I was in a panic," Mr Zheng said.

"When we were about to jump overboard, she said 'Don't drag me' because of her injured knee and I said 'OK'. All of a sudden, the boat flipped over and I was in the sea."

"I could never imagine that the conversation was the last words between us. I grabbed a rope after I fell into the water, and when I raised up my head to look for my wife, the whole boat was missing."

About 20 tourists, including Mr Zheng, eventually climbed aboard a rubber raft.

STUNNED

"There were no words between any of us. All of us were stunned. We could only hear the sounds of the sea."

Mr Zheng said that if they had known there would be a rubber raft floating around after their boat sank, they might have put on life vests and jumped in to be saved. "However, we knew nothing about it. No one gave us any warnings or guidance," he said.

Yesterday, a Thai government minister blamed Chinese tour operators for the tragedy. Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan said Chinese tour operators did not respect Thai safety legislation.

"Some Chinese use Thai nominees to bring Chinese tourists in ... they did not heed warnings ... which is why this incident happened," Mr Prawit said. - CHINA DAILY/ANN, REUTERS

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