In an unprecedented incident, dozens of tourists’ suitcases and backpacks fell into the sea from the deck of a boat in Thailand, causing passenger outrage. The incident occurred during a trip between the popular tourist islands Koh Tao and Koh Samui.
Alice Zamparelli, a tourist from Perth, recorded the chaos on TikTok, showing suitcases and backpacks floating in the water as the crew tried to retrieve some of them.
The bags slid across the wet deck and fell into the water when the boat encountered bad weather and stormy seas. The tourists were stunned, with some of them losing very important documents, including passports and travel insurance documents.
The incident has caused outrage, with many blaming the negligence of the boat’s crew for not properly securing the luggage.
Zamparelli managed to get about 1500 dollars in compensation, but considered the money insufficient given the value of her personal items.
“The ferry crew was absolutely convinced that a suitcase couldn’t be worth more than 620 dollars, while in reality all our personal items cost over 3000 dollars,” she said.
“In Thailand… everything is much cheaper than in Western countries and Australia, so they almost mocked us to our faces when they were explaining the value of our personal items. Fortunately, we managed to get 1500 dollars, but it took a lot of effort and discussion so they were eventually forced to take us aside and pay us discreetly. No one else was paid as much as we were, even though it wasn’t nearly enough. The only reason we were paid so much was because we stayed there until the end, exhausted,” she added.
Several other passengers also reported the difficulty they faced in trying to get compensation from the ferry company. Ultimately, only a handful of people received some kind of compensation, but even these compensations did not cover the actual losses in the slightest. Many received nothing at all.
The incident has raised concerns about the safety standards and luggage handling procedures of some ferry companies operating in Thailand.
At a time when maritime accidents in Southeast Asia are increasing rapidly, the maritime community is warning tourists that they need to be very careful about which vessels they travel on during their holidays.
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The post was shared by the user I Love Thailand (@ilove_thailand66)
