Bangkok tourist boat collision injures 12, including five foreigners

Twelve people, including five foreign passengers, were injured when a two-deck tourist boat struck a pier in Bangkok on Thursday, 22 October.

Rescue workers attended Sathorn Pier, near Saphan Taksin BTS station, early in the afternoon. The vessel, Riva Express 2, sustained damage to the right-hand side of its bow, while the impact also damaged stainless-steel pier railings.

The five injured foreign passengers suffered abrasions to their arms and legs and were taken to Samitivej Chinatown Hospital. Other passengers also received treatment following the collision.

Rescuers called to Sathorn Pier

Ruamkatanyu Foundation rescue workers were alerted at about 1.10pm and went to the pier in Bangkok’s Sathorn district, according to the Bangkok Post. They found the tourist boat with visible damage to its starboard bow.

Rescue teams provided first aid and arranged hospital transfers. The reports identify five of the injured as foreign nationals but do not give their nationalities.

Sathorn Pier is close to Saphan Taksin BTS station. The emergency response took place there, although the accounts differ over the vessel’s movements around the time of the collision.

Driver reports loss of steering

The boat’s 62-year-old driver, identified as Arun, told officials that a mechanical problem had left him unable to control the rudder while carrying tourists.

He said the boat then struck the pier. According to his account, passengers who were not holding onto the boat’s railing fell and were injured in the impact.

The reported steering failure remains the driver’s explanation for the crash, rather than an established technical finding. The confirmed immediate consequences were injuries to 12 passengers and damage to both the vessel and pier railings.