12 feared dead after ferry sinks in eastern China

Twelve people are missing and feared to have drowned after a ferry boat sank on a river in eastern China, government officials said on Friday. Nine other people on board the vessel have been rescued and taken to hospital.

The accident happened at around 1:40 a.m. local time on Thursday in the Ma'anshan section of the Yangtze River, the country's longest river, in China's eastern province of Anhui. The boat was carrying 21 people on a trip from Ma'anshan City to Hexian County when the accident happened.

"As of now, nine people have been rescued and search-and-rescue is in progress for twelve people still missing," a spokesperson for the State Administration of Work Safety said. Several of the survivors were taken to the intensive care unit at Ma'anshan People's Hospital, but their conditions were not immediately known.

The boat, which was also carrying five trucks, three cars and two electric bikes, was not overloaded, according to the administration of navigational affairs of the Yangtze River, an agency under the Ministry of Transport.

The ferry station has been cordoned off by the local police to facilitate the rescue effort.

According to the official Sina Weibo account of the city government of Ma'anshan, at least 24 boats have been sent to search for the missing and salvage the sunken boat.

Ferry services from Ma'anshan have been suspended.

"The boat sank some 500 meters from the bank and right in the middle of the river, causing us a lot of trouble with the rescue and salvage," said a firefighter at site.

Authorities said they were investigating the cause of the accident.

Saturday 18 August 2012

http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/727460.shtml

continue reading

One dead, four missing in boat capsize

KOTA TINGGI - An illegal immigrant drowned and another four were missing when their boat capsized after being struck by strong waves off Tanjung Pengelih, near here on Thursday.

One illegal immigrant and the ill-fated boat's tekong were rescued in the incident which occurred at about noon.

The boat had left an undesignated jetty at Kampung Pasir Putih in Pasir Gudang and was believed to be heading towards Pulau Batam, Indonesia.

The tragedy only came to light more than eight hours later when a fisherman rescued the boat's tekong -- Harman Latip, 44, off Tanjung Pengelih. The fisherman alerted the Johor Baru Maritime Rescue Sub-centre at 8.25pm.

Malaysia Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) southern region enforcement chief First Admiral Adon Shalan said the agency and the Marine Operations Force sent out a 30-member search and rescue party to the site of the incident.

"About 9.30pm, we found another victim nearby who was found clinging to a buoy to keep afloat. We rushed him to a marina jetty at Tanjung Pengelih for immediate medical treatment.

"The survivor, Zulkarnain Yusman said he managed to hold on to the buoy when the boat capsized while the rest, including a woman, drifted off into Singapore waters," he said.

The two rescued victims were treated at the Sungai Rengit health clinic before they were sent to the district police station to assist in investigations.

Adon said the Singapore police coast guard found a body in their waters about 2am yesterday. The victim, identified as Shamsuddin, 34, was believed to be one of the boat passengers.

"The search and rescue continues today. We are working closely with Singapore coast guard and the Singapore Maritime Rescue Control Centre."

Adon said the MMEA, in cooperation with the Johor Immigration Department, had been monitoring undesignated jetties in the state to nab illegal foreigners.

He said at least 10 boats had been spotted attempting to smuggle out illegal foreigners from Johor during Ramadan.

"However, most of them had to make a U-turn and hide in forests nearby or abandoned their trips after we spotted them attempting to sneak out of the country."

Saturday 18 August 2012

http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Malaysia/Story/A1Story20120818-366223.html

continue reading

Tiger Disco Fire: Friend identifies watch, bracelet of missing Thai waitress

PHUKET: A Thai waitress who worked at the Tiger Discotheque may have been identified today after a friend recognized a wristwatch and a bracelet found on one of the four bodies incinerated by the blaze.

Phuket Provincial Police Commander Chonasit Wattanavrangkul today confirmed that several people had come forward to identify at least one of the four victims incinerated in the Tiger Discotheque inferno in Patong early this morning.

“I received reports of one French tourist and one Japanese tourist missing from guesthouses in the Patong area. I have just received another report from Patong Police about one missing Thai staffer who worked at Tiger Discotheque,” he confirmed to the Phuket Gazette.

The news follows several guesthouses today reporting guests who did not return to their hotels last night, Maj Gen Chonasit explained this afternoon.

Earlier today, several people arrived at Patong Police Station to file missing persons reports.

One officer told the Gazette, “One Thai woman who came to the police station said she recognized the wristwatch and bracelet of her friend when she went to see the body at Patong Hospital.

“She said her friend worked as a waitress at Tiger Discotheque. She [the victim] was around 20 years old and originally came from Sukhothai province.”

The officer added that two Frenchmen, both tourists, also arrived at Patong Police Station to report that their friend had been missing since last night.

“They thought their friend might be one of the bodies found at Tiger Discotheque,” he said.

One Japanese tourist also came to the police station to report a friend who had been missing since last night, the officer added.

The officer declined to name Thai staffer, the French tourist or the Japanese tourist reported as missing.

Maj Gen Chonasit said that one of the bodies is believed to have been female or a transgender person, called katoey in Thai.

“I am not sure if it is the body of female or transgender person, but there were silicone implants under the breasts,” he said.

However, he added, “We can’t be 100 per cent sure who the person is until the body is formally identified at the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Bangkok.”

The news follows Royal Thai Police Assistant Commissioner-General Lt Gen Chalermkiat Srivorakan arriving from Bangkok this afternoon to see with his own eyes the devastation the fire had caused.

Lt Gen Chalermkiat confirmed that he had ordered the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Bangkok to take over the daunting task of identifying the four victims trapped in the blaze.

“We have assigned officers from Office of Forensic Science from Bangkok to investigate the cause of the fire. I have also ordered that all four bodies be sent to the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Bangkok for identification.

“No one from the institute in Bangkok has arrived yet. A team from Provincial Police Region 8 came down today to check, but I have yet to receive any report [from them],” he added.

“I will also check for the operating hours of this place, but the most important thing at this stage is to determine the cause of fire and to identify the bodies,” Lt Gen Chalermkiat said.

Saturday 18 August 2012

http://www.phuketnews.asia/2012/08/tiger-disco-fire-friend-identifies-watch-bracelet-of-missing-thai-waitress/

continue reading

Bodies in Phuket blaze to be sent to Bangkok for identification.

Police on Friday called on Phuket hotel and bungalow operators to provide information on any missing guests to help in identifying victims of the discotheque fire in Phuket.

Deutsche Presse-Agentur quoted Phuket police chief Maj Gen Chainasit Wattanawalangkul as saying it was believed three of the dead were foreigners and one was Thai.

However, he was waiting for the autopsy to confirm the identities of the victims, whose bodies were badly burnt. The fire broke out on the second floor of the popular Tiger Discotheque Bar on Patong Beach at 4.40am. It was brought under control by 6 am.

Patong Hospital spokeswoman Donraya Buklarak said it was not possible to identify the dead because the bodies were too badly burned. "We will have to send them to Bangkok for autopsy," she said.

District police Colonel Jiraphat Fuchanaphan said, "We think the fire was caused by an explosion of an electricity transformer near the club." Patong and much of Phuket experienced frequent blackouts Friday morning due to heavy rain, which put a strain on the electricity system.

Eleven people were admitted to the hospital with two listed in a critical condition. These have been identified as French national Benjamin Tallanotte, 30, and a Thai woman.

Nine others, including three French citizens, were allowed to leave hospital after receiving treatment for minor burns. It was unclear why the nightclub was still operating after the legal closing time of 1am.

"We had stopped services at the club, but there were still people there sitting around drinking," Tiger Disco Bar manager ThamrongsakBoonlak said.

He said the club would pay full compensation for all victims of the fire.

The Tiger Disco Bar is one of the biggest nightclubs in Phuket, which is located 700 kilometres south-west of Bangkok. It has a dancefloor on the second floor and several bars on the ground floor.

Saturday 18 August 2012

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Bodies-in-Phuket-blaze-to-be-sent-to-Bangkok-for-i-30188543.html

continue reading