by REERA YOO
Two South Korean tourists went missing on Sunday after their speedboat collided with a fishing vessel near Thailand’s resort island of Phuket, reported the Associated Press.
According to the Korean Embassy in Thailand, the missing individuals were identified as a 31-year-old man, surnamed Ko, and a 28-year-old woman, surnamed Ahn.
The accident occurred Sunday evening when the tourist speedboat, which was transporting around 40 people from the islands of Phi Phi, crashed into a fishing boat in the Andaman Sea, said Col. Phumin Poompanmoung of Krabi police.
“The driver of the speedboat was distracted and pulling a plastic bag from his foot when he crashed,” he told AFP, adding that the driver has been arrested for reckless driving.
Authorities said most of the tourists aboard were Chinese, but confirmed that there were four South Korean passengers at the time of the accident. While two of the four Koreans have already been rescued, the maritime police are currently searching for the missing duo.
This is the second fatal boat accident in Thailand this month. On Oct. 5, two Indian tourists drowned after their boat capsized, also in the Andaman Sea. In addition to these accidents, last month’s grisly murder of two British holidaymakers has raised alarms over tourist safety in Thailand.
Thai authorities are now desperate to restore tourist confidence since tourism plays an important role in sustaining the country’s economy.
Photo courtesy of Ittipat Pinnarod/Twitter
