A boat fire off the coast of Koh Tao in Thailand has left a British tourist missing. The incident occurred when a small boat caught fire and sank on Sunday morning, with 26-year-old Alexandra Clarke from Lambeth, south London, on board. According to reports, the fire started in the ship’s engine room after 09:00 ITC (02:00 GMT), with authorities believing that fuel overflowed in the boat’s tank during a refill and ignited when the boat was restarted.
The Foreign Office has confirmed that they are in contact with local authorities in Thailand and are providing support to the family of the missing British woman. Thai navy divers conducted a search for the missing tourist, but unfortunately, no signs of Alexandra Clarke were found. The police suspect that she was in the boat’s toilet when the fire started. Investigations are ongoing to determine the cause of the blaze, which is believed to have originated from an engine used to compress air into a fuel tank during a trip to a popular dive spot in the Gulf of Thailand.
Search efforts for Ms. Clarke will resume on Tuesday morning. Col Sarayuth Buriwachira from Koh Tao Police reported that the fire spread quickly, leading to the boat sinking into the sea. Maritime safety in Thailand has been a pressing issue, with the government making commitments to enhance safety measures following previous fatal incidents. Despite these promises, there have been other fatal accidents, including a ferry fire last year where over 100 passengers had to jump into the sea while heading to Koh Tao
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