Thai hospital morgue overloaded after boat sinking kills 41
Vachira Phuket Hospital had to use a temporary morgue built from two refrigerated containers to hold the bodies of victims of the shipwreck.
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Thai rescue workers bring the body of a victim who died in the Phoenix ferry sinking to shore on July 6. Photo:AFP. |
For the past two days, at Vachira Phuket Hospital in Phuket, Thailand, ambulances have been continuously carrying the bodies of victims who died in the boat sinking on July 5, according to Reuters.
Hospital morgues are running out of space as 41 bodies from the sinking have been recovered and 15 more are still missing. Some of the bodies are being kept in a makeshift morgue made from two refrigerated containers.
“The Chinese embassy urgently requested 40 freezers,” the Thai government said in a statement, calling on donors to contact the hospital to provide freezers. Similar appeals have also appeared on Chinese social media. Jessada Chokdamrongsook, a Thai health ministry official, said the hospital had been given 20 freezers.
The Phoenix, carrying 105 people, mostly Chinese tourists, sank on July 5 off the resort island of Phuket due to high waves. Rescuers have rescued 39 people and are searching for 15 missing.
Admiral Charoenpol Kumrasri, the deputy commander of the Thai navy who is leading the rescue effort, said he believed divers would complete the search today.
"After tonight, if we don't find any more missing people, the bodies will float to the surface and we can find them," he told reporters.
Thai police say they may prosecute the captain and owner of the Phoenix ship for ignoring authorities' warnings of bad weather and taking passengers out to sea.
Chinese Ambassador to Thailand Lyu Jian arrived in Phuket on July 6 to provide assistance to affected Chinese citizens and discuss with Thai authorities the rescue operation, identification of bodies and assistance to relatives of the deceased.
