Authorities in Thailand have confirmed that a tour boat that was involved in a collision that left one person dead off Krabi province earlier this week was laden with narcotics when the incident occurred, Singaporean media outlet MS News reported recently.
Unknown quantities of methamphetamine tablets and cannabis were found during an inspection of the tour boat Korawich Marine 888 after it struck the trawler Pichai Samut 1 in the Andaman Sea off the Phi Phi Islands on Sunday, January 11.
Korawich Marine 888's captain had also tested positive for drug use shortly the incident. However, the exact charges to be filed against the individual have not yet been determined.
Authorities have also been working to establish which province has jurisdiction over the upcoming legal proceedings, as the incident occurred in the waters between Krabi and Phuket.
The two vessels collided at around 08:55 local time on Sunday off Phi Phi. The tour boat's bow was then torn off, which caused the vessel to capsize and sink within minutes.
The 55 passengers and crew who were on the tour boat were thrown overboard as it capsized. All were subsequently pulled out of the water, though a female Russian tourist who was found in critical condition later died as she was being treated in hospital.
The boat's three crewmembers and 21 other passengers suffered injuries, though none were life-threatening.
The trawler meanwhile suffered no damage and no pollution was detected in the surrounding waters.
The tour boat's passengers at the time of the collision included UK, Polish, Russian, Kazakhstani, Kyrgyzstani and Uzbek nationals.
