The wreckage of the speedboat that exploded on Sunday is being hauled ashore on Phi Phi island so authorities can identify the cause of the blast that injured 16 Chinese tourists.
Police, Marine Department and national park officials on Monday found parts of the boat, King Poseidon 959, still afloat near Viking Cave, where the explosion occurred.
Divers found other charred wreckage from the boat on the bed of the Andaman Sea.
- Earlier report: Speedboat carrying Chinese tourists explodes; 16 injured
Rough seas off Krabi were slowing down the tow to the shore on the island, officials said. (continues below)
Tourist speedboat explodes off Phi Phi island. (Reuters video)
The speedboat was carrying 26 Chinese tourists and five Thai crew members. It exploded on Sunday, injuring 16 people. All were taken to hospitals in Krabi and Phuket.The boat belonged to Thai Fu Charoen Co in Phuket and was taking them on a tour of the Phi Phi islands in Krabi province.
Xinhua news agency on Sunday quoted the Chinese consulate-general in Songkhla as saying five of the injured tourists were in serious condition.
Tourism and Sports Minister Weerasak Kowsurat, who was in Krabi on Monday, said the condition of the captain, Kriangkrai Boonsri, was also serious, with burns to his face and body from the explosion.
Pol Col Krissana Patanacharoen said one crew member had been charged with carelessness leading to injury to other people. He did not name him.
Police were still compiling their investigation report, but may also bring charges against other crew members, including the captain, the deputy spokesman for the Royal Thai Police Office added.
The China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) has urged police to find out the cause of the accident, and is preparing a plan to help the injured Chinese.
CNTA chairman Li Jinzao said his agency will continue to follow the developments, Xinhua said.
Almost nine million tourists from China visited Thailand in the first nine months of last year, more than any other nationality, according to the latest figures of the Tourism and Sports Ministry.