The five young tourists had gone swimming on the beach in front of the Hotspring Hotel in Na Toei of Thai Muang District yesterday evening, said Sayant Kitmano, head of the provincial disaster prevention and mitigation office.
A woman and a man – identified as Wang Qi, 29, and Jiang Yufu, 25 – lost their lives and two other men were saved. Jiang Yuping and Jiang Yumong, both 28, sustained injuries and were admitted to a hospital in Phuket.
The remaining woman, identified as Yang Juan, 27, is still missing, said Mr Sayant.
Anuwat Kangsadanbanpot, 26, a tour guide at a Phuket-based travel firm, told police that he took 29 tourists from Krabi airport to the hotel in Phang Nga. He said he warned everyone not to swim in the sea at dusk as wind and waves were strong and posed a danger to their lives.
However, the five tourists went out to swim at around 6pm despite the warning, said Mr Anuwat.
Phang Nga governor Sitthichai Sakda today led a team of officials to inspect the area. Navy and marine police rescuers continued to search for the missing woman in a radius of one kilometre from where the group had been swimming.
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