Three dead, 60 hospitalised in China after tourist boats capsize
File image of a tourist boat sailing on the Liuchong River in Qianxi city, in China's south-western Guizhou province. PHOTO: CHINA DAILY/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
Three dead, 60 hospitalised in China after tourist boats capsize
BEIJING - Three people died and 60 others were hospitalised after two boats carrying tourists capsized in south-western China on May 4, according to state media.
Around 70 people fell into the water when the two passenger boats overturned on a river in Qianxi city, Guizhou province, Xinhua news agency said, citing local authorities.
Rescue workers were searching for 14 people still missing on May 4 evening.
China's leader Xi Jinping urged 'all-out efforts' in the search and rescue operations and treatment of those injured, Xinhua said.
May 4's incident comes just over two months after 11 people were killed in a boat collision in central China.
The collision in Hunan province occurred when a passenger boat struck an industrial vessel, throwing 19 people overboard. AFP
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
4 hours ago
- Straits Times
Oops!... I dropped it: Man retrieves woman's sunken phone from Sabah's waters in titanic effort
A quick-thinking local tour employee leapt into the sea off Semporna, after the female tourist accidentally dropped her phone in the water. PHOTO: PERHENTIAN_QALYNN/TIKTOK It was not the Heart of the Ocean necklace, but a woman recently dropped her precious phone into the waters off Malaysia's Sabah, and someone went down and got it back for her. Talk about being sent from above. While it was not quite 'You jump, I jump', the man - a quick-thinking local tour employee - leapt into the sea off Semporna, after the female tourist accidentally fell in while trying to get onto a jetty from a boat, dropping her phone in the process. In three viral TikTok clips posted on June 16, user @perhentian_qalynn filmed two women standing by the water's edge on the pier, with the phone's owner looking drenched and frazzled. The clips have garnered almost two million views in total. The moment she loses her footing is not shown, but the caption in Malay gave the context: 'A strong wave hit, and she slipped before she could step fully onto the boat.' The scream that followed turned every head on the dock, the caption added. While she managed to save her passport, her mobile phone took a dive - straight to the bottom of the sea. 'People were just watching as no one was diving in to retrieve it,' the caption added. Up stepped the king of the woman's world, Ajiq, identified in the video's caption as an employee from a local tour company. Wearing a snorkelling mask, he dived into the choppy, boat-filled waters in search of the sunken phone. His first dive was in vain, but he did it again, this time breaking the water's surface again with the phone in hand, following a titanic effort. Ecstatic, the woman waved her phone in the air like a trophy, shook it dry, and quickly wiped it down with a towel. She then thanked her soggy saviour profusely, and even said 'I love you' three times. TikTok users were full of praise of the man. 'He didn't hesitate at all. That's a real gentleman,' wrote @aisyah87_m. 'Phones are expensive these days — this guy saved her trip!' said @shearaline. The video ends with a message of thanks: 'When no one else moved, it was the diver who took the risk, diving in selflessly without expecting anything in return.' Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
a day ago
- Straits Times
Visit hot springs, flower fields and mushroom farms in Taichung
Taichung is nicknamed the Kyoto of Taiwan, and surrounded by nature. PHOTO: WENDY NG TAICHUNG, Taiwan – It is by accident that I rediscover Taichung during my second visit to the city. My initial plan is a brief stopover in Taichung before heading to my destination, Lishan. Unexpectedly, the transit turns into a journey into a part of Taichung that is relatively untouched by tourism. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
a day ago
- Straits Times
Thai Airways exits debt restructuring plan with Court approval
BANGKOK – Thai Airways International won court approval to exit a debt restructuring program, paving the way for resumption of trading in its stocks after a four-year gap. The Central Bankruptcy Court in Bangkok on June 16 granted the national carrier's plea to emerge from the court-supervised debt rehabilitation. The airline successfully completed the restructuring as it managed to increase capital as specified under the plan, restructure business its without any delay, and generate profit before tax, the court said in a statement. The exit will now allow the company to carry out normal business operations five years after it fell into pandemic-triggered financial distress with more than 400 billion baht of debt. Trading of the company's shares may also resume in late July or early August following the court's decision, Thai Airways has said. 'It's now the duty of the new board to ensure sustainable growth of Thai Airways as the court-appointed debt rehabilitation team members have laid the groundwork for the company's business expansion,' Piyasvasti Amranand, court-appointed debt administrator, told reporters. The airline is currently benefiting from a post-pandemic travel boom, which has boosted its earnings and cash flow. Its improved financials have allowed it to order a new fleet of Boeing and Airbus jets to support its expanding operations. Thai Airways saw its net income jump fourfold in the first quarter of this year as the number of passengers it served rose more than 11 per cent from a year earlier. The airline sees strong bookings in the second quarter, led by rising demand for its flights to Europe, Australia and India, CEO Chai Eamsiri said in May. The airline appointed a new board of directors in April, including two senior officials from the Finance Ministry, to prepare for the debt program exit. The ministry's permanent secretary Lavaron Sangsnit is among the 11-member board. As part of the rescue plan, the carrier's creditors agreed to convert about 53 billion baht of debt into shares. It also sold about 23 billion baht in new shares to existing shareholders to boost its capital. Thai Airways' shareholder equity returned to a surplus after completing the debt-to-equity conversion and rights offering. It had a negative shareholder equity of about 27 billion baht after years of losses. 'We have a lot of financial strength in Thai Airways to continue our expansion and success in the competitive air travel industry,' Mr Chai said in a statement. 'Thai Air's main mission is to sustain its long-term growth and push for Thailand as the region's aviation hub.' BLOOMBERG Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
