The air is full of shrieks of terror as a mobile phone video shows a tourist boat sinking with passengers scrambling for their lives. The tourist boat 'Aladin' is shown rapidly sinking as men and women cry out for help and start to drown.
It was only good fortune that saved them as a nearby boat was around to rescue the passengers and crew. There were no fatalities.
The incident happened on January 29th while the boat was cruising near Phuket, near the Similan Islands. None of the 13 on board were hurt, but the boat was operating illegally, say Thai authorities. The manager of the company who owns the boat insists that the boat was not to blame for the sinking.
The man, known only as 'Frank', blamed a rope wrapping around the propellor, which he said caused a hole in the boat, which allowed water to rush in and cause the sinking.
"There was a boat nearby, people were saved. Everyone is fine, no harm done, but my boat is gone, that's what I'm worried about."
I'm not sure that's the view the people on the boat who barely survived with their lives would take, to be honest, Frank...
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
