Five hurt as speedboat bursts into flames off Phuket

Five people, including the driver and crew members, sustained burns when their speedboat caught fire and sank off the coast of Phuket on Sunday morning.

The H20 speedboat burst into flames at a yacht pier of the Royal Phuket Marina Hotel in tambon Koh Kaew, Muang district, said the Muang police radio centre, which was alerted around 9am on Sunday. 

Witnesses told police that the fire erupted when a mechanic started the engine. The fuel tank then exploded. 

A driver of another boat and hotel staffers who witnessed the incident immediately rushed to the scene, using a boat to pull the fire-gutted speedboat away from the pier to prevent flames from spreading to other vessels moored at the pier. 

The speedboat was taken to a mangrove forest 200-300 metres from the pier. Strong winds fanned the flames, which quickly spread to the entire boat before it sank.

The boat captain, the mechanic and three crew members on board the speedboat sustained burns. The boat captain and the mechanic, whose names have not yet been released, were seriously burned. All were rushed to a nearby hospital.

Damage was estimated at about 1.2 million baht.

Police said the ill-fated speedboat normally provided services to tourists from the yacht pier to The Village Coconut Island Beach Resort Hotel on Maprao island.