Eighty-two people were rescued when a Koh Larn ferry sank on its way back to Pattaya.
No one was injured when the Petchara 7, carrying a group of passengers from the Buriram Court, began taking on water and sinking May 31. The boat was operated by Petchara Boat Co., the newly renamed firm whose Koh Larn ferry sank in 2013, killing seven tourists.
Captain Kamton Tungtaisong, 47, realized the problem early on and radioed other boats to take his passengers before it submerged off Thong Lang Beach.
Kamton said he didn’t know the cause of the leak in the wooden vessel.
Eighty-two people were pulled from the Petchara 7 when the ferry sank on its way back to Pattaya on Sunday May 31.
Marine Office 6 ordered the boat’s owner to salvage the Petchara 7 from its resting place and determine the cause of the sinking. A collision with a submerged rock or faulty pumps are suspected.
Petchara Boat Co. is the new name for Koh Lan Travel Co., operator of a ferry thank sank in November 2013, killing seven tourists. In July, Banglamung District suspended the company’s operating license.
