33 dead in Thai tourist boat disaster

Rescue workers in Thailand on Friday searched for survivors after a boat carrying Chinese tourists sank during a storm Thursday evening, killing at least 33 people, all Chinese nationals, with 23 others still missing. The tourist boat sank off of Thailand’s southern resort island of Phuket after facing high waves. Officials said 105 people had boarded the boat, a group comprising 93 tourists, 11 crew members, and a tour guide. Authorities confirmed the identities of at least 10 Chinese tourists among the dead. Jin Yilin, consul-general of the Chinese Embassy in Thailand, said the Chinese Foreign Ministry has sent a delegation to Thailand. A second boat also overturned near Phuket during Thursday’s storm, but all of the people on board were rescued.