All passengers rescued from ferry burning off Tau Island

No one was injured in a fire on an overnight ferry travelling to Tau Island from Surat Thani. All passengers and crew members have been brought to shore.

An overnight ferry carrying hundreds of foreign passengers caught fire off Tau Island in Surat Thani province. All passengers and crew members were rescued and brought to shore, the Thairat newspaper reported.

According to Ko Tau police station chief Colonel Chokchai Suttimek, the fire broke out on the ferry ‘Ko Jaroen 2’ travelling on the Surat Thani—Ko Tau route about two to three nautical miles off the island near Phangan Island.

The sleeper vessel, which carried 97 Thai and foreign passengers, 11 crew members, and commercial cargo, left Surat Thani at 11 pm and headed for Tau Island. As the vessel approached the Ko Tau pier, a fire broke out in the engine room.

Fire on a ferry travelling between Surat Thani and Tau Island (Photo: Supapong Chaolan)

Upon receiving the alarm, shipmasters and island officials swiftly deployed rescue boats to the scene, demonstrating their commitment to passenger safety. All passengers and crew members were successfully evacuated and brought to shore. Unfortunately, some passengers reported suffering from suffocation.

Maritime Department head Kritphet Chaichuai reported that officials were alerted to the fire at 6:40 am40am when the ferry was approximately 2 nautical miles from shore near Chalok Ban Khao Bay. Boats from Tau Island were immediately dispatched to assist passengers and crew, resulting in the safe rescue of all individuals. The fire was successfully brought under control by 8.20 am.

According to Critphet, there were 90 passengers and eight crew members on board the boat that was engulfed in flames. However, police initially reported that there were 97 passengers and 11 crew members. To address this discrepancy, a special fact-finding commission has been established to investigate the incident, as confirmed by the department head.