Thailand holds ceremony in honour of 47 Chinese boat victims

PHUKET, Thailand – Officials and local groups have held a religious ceremony in honour of 47 Chinese tourists who died last month when their boat sank in rough weather off Thailand’s resort island of Phuket.

The ceremony on Wednesday included Chinese and Buddhist rituals, as well as prayers by Christian, Hindu and Sikh priests.

Two boats carrying tourists sank off Phuket in stormy weather on July 5. Everyone on one smaller boat was rescued, while 47 Chinese died on the double-decker tour boat Phoenix.

The accident was one of Thailand’s worst tourism-related disasters in recent years.

Officials say both boats went to sea despite official warnings about the rough weather, and they have been pursuing legal action against those involved.