Rescuers find one more victim of ferry capsizing in Thailand

By Baird Maritime - August 6, 2020.

Passengers and crew being rescued after the ferry Raja 4 capsized off Koh Samui, Thailand on August 1, 2020. Two passengers and three crewmembers died as a result of the incident. (Photo: Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Office, Surat Thani)

Thai authorities have recovered the body of one of the individuals who had gone missing after a passenger vessel capsized off the resort island of Koh Samui late last week.

On the morning (local time) of Wednesday, August 5, a Royal Thai Navy vessel deployed teams of divers in rubber boats to an area off Koh Samui to search for any trace of two crewmembers and two passengers who were on the Ro-Pax ferry Raja 4 when it capsized on the night of Saturday, August 1.

Later in the day on Wednesday, divers found the remains of an individual who has since been identified as one of the missing crewmembers.

The individual is the second victim to be recovered in the aftermath of the incident. On Sunday, August 2, the vessel’s captain was found deceased on the beach of a nearby island.

Raja 4 was sailing from Koh Samui to Don Sak when it capsized due to rough weather conditions. Seven crewmembers and two passengers were safely rescued in the waters around the vessel while another two crewmembers were able to swim to shore.

Officials said the search for the three missing individuals will continue.