PHANG-NGA, Thailand — A popular dive excursion turned into a scene of chaos before sunrise today when the MV Coral Explorer, a tourist diving vessel, burst into flames off the coast of Khao Lak. The dramatic rescue operation saw 16 international tourists and 10 crew members evacuated to safety, with no reported injuries—a stroke of luck officials are calling “miraculous.”

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The Maritime Enforcement Command Center (MECC) sprang into action after a frantic distress call reported flames tearing through the boat near a protected coral reef area. “We could see the glow from shore,” said local fisherman Adul Meesawat, one of the first to alert authorities. “The fire spread so fast—it looked like the whole bow was eating the sea.”

Rescue vessels, including a civilian passenger boat commandeered for the emergency, reached the burning ship within 30 minutes. Video footage shows tourists—some still in wetsuits—clutching life jackets as thick black smoke billowed overhead. “They were transferring people mid-sea like a wartime evacuation,” described Lt. Commander Preecha Thongplub of the Royal Thai Navy.

Despite patrol boats dousing the hull with portable pumps, the inferno raged for seven hours, consuming passenger cabins until specialized Navy teams arrived with foam suppressants. By 11:30 AM, the charred skeleton of the 25-meter vessel slipped beneath the waves, sinking in 40 meters of water near the Similan Islands marine park.

Authorities have cordoned off the area, with marine biologists warning of potential fuel leakage threatening the coral-rich ecosystem. “We’re monitoring for oil sheens and deploying containment booms as precaution,” said Dr. Narinratana Kongjam of the Phang-nga Coastal Research Center.

A fire broke out on a tourist boat off the coast of Phang Nga province in southern Thailand's Andaman Sea early Saturday morning, according to a report from the Phuket Info Center Facebook page. #phangnga #tourboathttps://t.co/cDGSOGFQ5g

— Thenationthailand (@Thenationth) April 12, 2025

Survivors—reportedly from Germany, China, and Australia—were given medical checks at Tab Lamu Pier. “We woke to shouting and the smell of burning plastic,” recalled German diver Lukas Bauer, 29. “The crew got us off in minutes. No one panicked, but we lost all our gear.”

Initial speculation points to an electrical fault in the boat’s charging station for dive equipment, though officials stress it’s too early to confirm. The boat’s safety certifications and crew protocols are under scrutiny, with the captain and engineer detained for questioning.

The incident has reignited debates about safety standards in Thailand’s booming dive tourism sector. “This is the third liveaboard fire in five years,” noted Sa-nga Ruangwattanakul of the Thai Dive Operators Association. “We need stricter inspections—these boats are essentially floating hotels.”

As sunset fell, salvage teams marked the wreck site with buoys while shaken tourists collected emergency travel documents from their embassies. For now, all dive trips near the wreck zone have been suspended indefinitely.

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Update 8:00 PM: Navy divers will attempt to inspect the wreck at first light tomorrow to recover the black box.

-Thailand News (TN)