13 injured Chinese tourists returned to Nanjing Wednesday morning after getting trapped in a speedboat explosion on southern Thailand's Andaman Sea near Phi-Phi Islands on Sunday.
Early Wednesday morning, 13 injured tourists and 1 family member flew back to Nanjing on SL8030 flight from Phuket. The plane touched down at Lukou International Airport a bit over seven o’clock in the morning. They were the first batch of Chinese tourists returning home after getting injured in the speedboat explosion in Thailand.
A speedboat carrying 27 Chinese tourists and four Thai crew members exploded in waters off the southern Thai province of Krabi on Sunday, killing one and seriously injuring five.
The boat, named King Poseidon, was on its way to the popular Phi Phi islands when its engine caught fire. The single fatality is believed to be a crew member.
Five seriously injured tourists are currently being treated in local hospitals, while 22 people who suffered minor injuries have been discharged and started to return home as planned. All 27 Chinese tourists are from Nanjing in eastern China’s Jiangsu Province.
The King Poseidon is believed to have caught fire near Viking Cave, a limestone tourist attraction located at the northwestern tip of Phi Phi, due to a fuel leak. The speedboat was less than a year old, according to reporters from Chinese news portal China News.
Each injured victim will receive up to 500,000 baht or US$15,665 in medical aid, reports Thai newspaper The Nation.
