A 12-year-old Russian boy became the seventh tourist to die in the Nov. 3 ferry sinking off Koh Larn when he succumbed to injuries in a Sriracha hospital.
Efimov Petr Sarcylana died of brain swelling and respiratory problems at Samitivej Hospital Sriracha. Hospital staff said he never regained consciousness after the accident that also killed three Thais, two Poles and a Hong Kong national. Eleven remained hospitalized throughout the area, including three in critical condition.
Chonburi tourism and sports Director Thanthip Meelaksana, Banglamung District Chief Sakchai Taengho and Pattaya Deputy Mayor Ronakit Ekasingh paid their respect’s to the boy’s mother, Sosina, Nov. 7.
Thanthip said authorities have already settled on the amount of compensation payouts to the foreign victims: Payments for each death would total 300,000 baht while each injured person would receive 200,000 baht. The Thai victims’ compensation will be subject to further negotiations.
No mention was made of the aggrieved victims being able to sue for greater compensation in Pattaya’s much-touted “tourist court.”
Compensation of a few thousand dollars likely will only add insult to injury for victims, as the accident occurred because the captain of the ferry was high on drugs at the time, the boat was overcrowded by about a third, and the boat operator failed to provide the required number of life vests and safety gear.
Sarcylana said she was devastated by the loss, particularly because it took so long for her son to receive any kind of first aid from rescuers. He stopped breathing after taking water into his lungs and respiration was not returned until it was too late.
