Park officials and a boat operator have rescued 14 tourists, four of them children, stranded in rough seas due to an engine problem on the catamaran they were riding.
A post on the Nopparat Tara-Mu Koh Phi Phi National Park Facebook page on Sunday that the 14 passengers of the Shangani were rescued by park officials using a patrol boat and a speedboat off Koh Phi Phi on Saturday.
The engine of the catamaran had failed, the Facebook post said.
Po Col Anurak Parinyasathirakul, the Krabi Marine Police chief, told Thai Post that the tourists, all from Spain, had rented the boat to cruise off the coast of Phuket, Phangnga and Krabi. Their voyage started on Tuesday and was to end on Saturday, he added.
The boat was also carrying seven crew members and all were safe.
Worapoj Lomlin, the Nopparat Tara-Mu Koh Phi Phi National Park chief, told Naew Na on Sunday that the rescue operation took more than one hour.
The park official said the Spanish family members were transferred to a resort on Phi Phi before their return to Phuket. The catamaran was towed to the island, where it was waiting for mechanics to arrive from Phuket to fix the engine, he added.
According to the Tiger Marine Charters website, the Shangani can carry up to 60 passengers.
The Meteorological Department on Sunday warned of high waves in the Andaman Sea until Thursday due to the impact of Typhoon Mangkhut on the South China Sea.
Park officials fight strong winds and rough seas to help rescue Spanish tourists stranded on a boat off Koh Phi Phi. (Video from Nopparat Tara-Mu Koh Phi Phi National Park Facebook account)
