Eight people, mostly seniors, were left floating two hours in the gulf off Koh Chang yesterday afternoon after their speedboat went down. One was seriously hurt.
Pilot Somruen Chansiri, 62, was returning seven passengers from the Trat province island when strong waves damaged the bow, crippling the vessel which then slowly sank to the harrowing surprise of those aboard.
Fortunately Somruen’s fast boat was stocked with life jackets, but everyone had to float along for two hours until help arrived.
With the aid of nearby fishing boats, island and marine cops were able to locate the victims. They rescued all eight by about 5:30pm and delivered them to the Laem Ngop pier, and from there, to a nearby hospital for treatment.
The authorities did not fault Somruen for the accident.
Several of those stranded were over 60. One of them was an 80-year-old woman who was said to be in a serious condition. The rest of the survivors showed no signs of injury.
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