At around 5:45 p.m. on July 5, 2018, two vessels, the "Phoenix" and the "Princess Aisha," carrying 127 Chinese tourists, suddenly encountered a severe rainstorm in the waters near Phuket Island. They capsized and sank near Coral Island and Racha Noi Island respectively.
After the accident, Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, President of the People's Republic of China and Chairperson of the Central Military Commission of the People's Republic of China, gave important instructions that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Chinese embassies and consulates in Thailand should step up their efforts and demand that the Thai government and relevant departments make all-out efforts to search for the missing and actively treat the injured.
Li Keqiang, a Standing Committee member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Premier of the State Council, made instructions, demanding every effort be made to search for missing Chinese tourists, treat the injured, and properly handle follow - up work. Attention should be paid to safety precautions for outbound tourists. Through the protection mechanism for Chinese citizens overseas, the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens should be effectively safeguarded to ensure safe travel.
The Thai Blue Sky Rescue Team organized its members and local Chinese volunteers to participate in the rescue, providing necessary assistance.
As of 6 p.m. on July 11, 2018, it was confirmed that the ship - sinking accident had caused the deaths of 47 Chinese tourists. The immense pressure, shock, and the grief of losing loved ones left survivors, families of the deceased, and rescue workers in urgent need of psychological counseling. Due to language and cultural differences, to avoid secondary harm caused by grief and fear, the Thai side sought help from Chinese rescue workers. The Thai Blue Sky Rescue Team requested assistance from the Chinese Blue Sky Rescue Team.
The Chinese Blue Sky Rescue Team dispatched two psychological experts, Fu Yu and Wang Jie, to Thailand on an emergency basis to provide psychological assistance to the families of the victims.