An out of control barge crashed into a number of moored dinner boats and a speedboat on the Chao Phraya River in Thailand's capital Bangkok on Wednesday, December 4.
Police officials said the incident occurred at around 10:00 local time on Wednesday when a barge transporting coal broke free of the tug pulling it, causing the former to drift until it struck and damaged five dinner boats near the Krungthep Bridge in Bangkok's Bang Kho Laem district. The collision left one of the dinner boats with a large hole near the stern.
The barge also struck a small skiff, which eventually sank. A female crewmember on one of the dinner boats meanwhile suffered minor head injuries and was brought to hospital.
The tug's 61-year-old captain said a strong current had rocked the barge with such force that it severed one of the towing cables connecting the two vessels. The captain was taken into custody by local police, who confirmed that he was not under the influence of alcohol at the time of the incident.
The dinner boats had no embarked passengers when the collision occurred as these were being operated exclusively for evening voyages along the Chao Phraya.