A family vacationing in Thailand experienced a harrowing incident during a recreational diving cruise. Alexandre Guedes recounted to the press how he, his wife, and their two children, aged 12 and 17, were on a tourist ship when it was struck by a storm at approximately 4:00 a.m. local time. The vessel was rendered inoperative and subsequently caught fire before sinking.
The Guedes family, along with 12 other foreign tourists and the crew, were forced to don life jackets and leap into the sea, losing all their personal belongings and documents. They were eventually rescued by another vessel in the area.
Both the passengers and crew suffered minor injuries during the rescue operation, but unfortunately lost money, items, and essential documents needed to return to Portugal.
In response to the loss of their documentation, Alexandre Guedes and his family have contacted the SOS service of the Portuguese consulate to address the issue, as they are scheduled to fly back to Portugal on Monday.
An official from the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that the Consular Emergency Office in Thailand is aware of the incident and is making arrangements to replace the necessary documents, assuring that “everything will be ready soon” for the family’s return to Portugal.
Tourist ship sank off Phuket.
Notícias ao Minuto with Lusa | 17:50 – 12/04/2025
The family had been in Phuket since Tuesday, having traveled from Bangkok, to embark on a four-day recreational diving program (Liveaboard). In the early hours of the last day, a severe storm developed, leading to a fire and the sinking of the ‘MV DiveRace Class E’ with nearly three dozen people aboard, including tourists and crew.
Describing the accident to the press, it was reported that around 4:00 a.m. on the final day of diving, they began to hear cries of “fire onboard, there was no light and it was impossible to breathe.”
“The only thing I could do was leave the room with my waterproof phone, which served as a light. All equipment such as diving computers, gear, flashlights, fins, and personal belongings, including luggage, passports, and money, were left aboard,” Alexandre Guedes shared.
“We put on the life jackets and jumped from the bow into the sea, where we were picked up by another boat called ‘MV RAGA’,” he recalled.
