Rescuers find five bodies

After a 24-hour search, some 20 rescue workers retrieved the bodies of six-year-old Nopparat Eiummeesab and his mother Thanaporn Noppasopon, 28, yesterday afternoon.

The other three were: Somkhuan Noppasopon, 27, Payom Noppasopon, 51, and boatman Siriroj Kamket, 25. The five were found together at some underwater branches.

Deputy provincial governor Suksan Vanaphuti said the province would offer compensation of Bt25,000 for each breadwinner who suffered from the accident and Bt15,000 for the other deceased. He also urged stricter adherence to safety standards in the use of boats on the reservoir.

Police investigation found that the accident, which also slightly injured six others, was due to the boatman's recklessness. However, as he had died in the accident and the families of tourists were not seeking legal action, police did not press charges against anyone.

Meanwhile an oil tanker sank at 4pm yesterday in an area between Koh Samui and Nakhon Si Thammarat's Khanom district in heavy rain and high waves. A nearby oil tanker saved four crew members, and two others are missing. The initial report said the tanker had contained only 1,000 litres of oil and had been hit by five-metre-high waves.