PHUKET, July 7, 2018 (News Wires) - Recovery divers pulled five more bodies from the sea off the Thai holiday island of Phuket on Saturday, 48 hours after a boat capsized in rough waters killing dozens of Chinese passengers. Many of the dead were found drifting in the sea, still wearing life jackets, several kilometres from where the Phoenix went down after being hit by five-metre high waves in a storm on Thursday evening. It is one of the worst boat disasters in the recent history of Thailand, a nation with a poor health and safety track record despite being heavily dependent on tourism. "Five bodies were found today and rescuers will continue to check the boat to see if there are any more bodies there," Phuket Governor Norraphat Plodthong said Saturday. The three-decker Phoenix was carrying 105 passengers, mostly Chinese tourists, when it sank on the way back from a popular snorkelling spot. Rescuers pulled some 37 bodies from the water Friday and the Phuket provincial government has said the island's morgue is full, with Chinese authorities requesting 40 further refrigeration units. Some 48 people - passengers and crew - were rescued on Thursday, while a Chinese woman was plucked from the churning waters Friday and rushed to hospital in Phuket after spending the night in the water. Divers yesterday reported seeing "over 10 bodies" floating inside the hull of the boat, which is submerged 40 metres below the surface of the Andaman Sea. Thai navy Rear Admiral Charoenphon Khumrasee has said hopes are now dwindling of finding many more people alive. "Of course we'll continue searching but the chances of survival are low. We will wait for the bodies to float to the top on their own," he said Saturday.
