The accident happened on Sunday on the Chao Phraya River in Ayutthaya, a UNESCO World Heritage site located some 80 km north of the Thai capital of Bangkok. The double-decker tourist boat carrying around 100 Thai Muslims on a pilgrimage tried to overtake a sand barge and ran into a barrier, police said, causing the boat to capsize. The boat was 50 passengers over its capacity at the time of the accident, said police commander Surapong Thampitak on Monday. The accident came as Thailand expects to welcome a record 33 million visitors in 2016. Road and boat accidents involving tourists are common in Thailand, where safety standards are sometimes well below international norms.

Source: dna September 19, 2016 07:18 UTC