At least 1 Chinese dead, 49 others missing in S. Thailand's boats accident

Rescued tourists are seen on life rafts near the island of Phuket, Thailand, July 5, 2018. Until 8:30 p.m. local time (1330 GMT) Thursday, the majority of 133 passengers on two boats overturned by rough seas in southern Thailand were saved, but the Thai authority cannot confirm all of them are saved now, said Chinese Consulate-General in Songkhla on Thursday.(Xinhua)

PHUKET, Thailand, July 6 (Xinhua) -- At least one Chinese tourist died and 49 others are still missing in Phuket's boats capsizal accident so far on Friday morning, according to the Chinese Consulate-General in Thailand's Songkhla.

The consulate-general announced at Friday noon that 77 Chinese tourists had been rescued so far, among which five are undergoing surgery and six are in hospital for further observation.

Phuket governor Norraphat Plodthong told Xinhua that two survivors had been found on Friday morning, including a Chinese tourist and a Thai crew member. Till now, altogether there are 56 tourists missing from the accident.

The rough sea was about five meters high when two boats carrying 127 Chinese tourists capsized in turbulent waters off the coast of Phuket island in Thursday afternoon.

The Chinese Embassy in Bangkok said in a statement that it had requested the Thai government make all-out rescue efforts, and that it had sent a team to Phuket to help.

It added that the Chinese consulate in southern Thailand already had staffers on the scene helping its citizens.

Thailand's monsoon season begins in May and ends in October. Coastal area often sees High winds and flash storms.