Police on the resort island of Phuket in Thailand have placed a local tour boat captain under arrest for operating without a valid licence and following actions that nearly left another individual seriously injured.
The incident occurred on Tuesday, October 7, when an adult female fell overboard from the stern of a tour boat in Ratsada on Phuket's east coast.
The female, who has been identified as a foreign national, attempted to get back on board the boat, which then began drifting backwards. The Phuket Marine Police said that, although the boat's engines were switched off, the propellers still posed a danger to the tourist in the water.
Marine police officers who were in the area on a routine patrol as well as some bystanders immediately rushed to where the boat was and pulled the tourist out of the water before the propellers could come into contact.
The woman suffered only minor injuries from falling in the water and was promptly treated.
The marine police inspected the boat and found the captain did not have a valid licence or a certificate of competence. The individual has since been arrested and charged with operating the vessel without the proper documents.
