PHUKET - More than 100 longtailed boats and speedboats providing ferry services from Rawai beach remained ashore on Friday as the weather bureau warned of high waves and dangerous seas.
The Meteorological Department said on Friday the strong southwest monsoon would prevail over the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand through Saturday, bringing thundershowers and strong winds that would whip up the sea in the areas.
The Marine Office Region 5 in Phuket warned small boats operating around Phi Phi and Racha islands to stay ashore during this period. Vessels going to Phangnga Bay, Koh Loan and islets around Phuket were told to proceed with caution.
The bad weather warning struck a bell with operators of more than 100 longtailed boats and speedboats on Rawai beach, and the service ground to a halt, INN News agency reported.
In Krabi, a longtail boat carrying 14 foreign tourists sank in the Andaman Sea on Friday afternoon, according to local reports.
The passengers all jumped out of the craft that was en route from Railay beach to Ao Nang beach and were rescued by marine police. Four were treated for minor injuries in a local hospital and the rest returned to their hotels.
A speedboat packed with overseas visitors capsized in wind-whipped seas off Koh Samui in Surat Thani on Thursday evening, drowning three tourists. The boat's driver is in police custody and the search is continuing for a missing British man.