Death toll from Thai boat disaster rises to 21: Phuket official

The death toll from a boat accident near the Thai holiday island of Phuket surged to 21, officials said today, as divers reported seeing multiple bodies inside the sunken hull of the Phoenix tourist vessel.

Phuket provincial rescue centre said "21 bodies" had been retrieved from the water, while Rear Admiral Charoenphon Khumrasee of the Thai navy said divers had seen "over 10 bodies" inside the submerged boat, which was carrying Chinese tourists when it went down yesterday.