Thailand recovers boat that sank in July, killing 47 Chinese

Officials on Saturday recovered a boat that sank in rough weather off Thailand's southern resort island of Phuket in July, killing 47 Chinese tourists.

Two tour boats sank off Phuket on July 5. Tourists from one boat were rescued, while the sinking of the double-decker Phoenix left 47 Chinese tourists dead.

The accident was one of Thailand's worst tourism-related disasters in recent years.

A crane boat raises the tour boat named the Pheonix from the sea floor, Saturday, Nov. 17, 2018, in Phuket, Thailand, after sinking over four months ago in rough weather killing 47 tourists. The tour boat was one of two boats that sank off the popular tourist island in stormy weather on July 5, 2018. (AP Photo)

The boat was raised from the 45-meter-deep (148-foot-deep) sea floor on Saturday by a crane ship operated by a salvage company from Singapore, officials said.

The recovery operation itself faced many obstacles. The first company, hired to salvage the boat, lost a member of its team during the operation and failed to lift the boat.

A group of senior police officers witnessing the raising of the boat stood in silence for one minute in commemoration of the victims.

Police pause for a moment in honor as a crane boat raises the tour boat named the Pheonix from the sea floor, Saturday, Nov. 17, 2018, in Phuket, Thailand, after sinking in rough weather killing 47 tourists. The tour boat was one of two boats that sank off the popular tourist island in stormy weather on July 5, 2018. (AP Photo)

The Phoenix, covered in brown algae and sludge, will be towed into a pier in Phuket. Police will inspect it as part of their investigation into the tragedy.

Five people have been charged so far, including the owner and two operators of the Phoenix. They have been accused of negligence causing death, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. Officials said other people are also under investigation, including some at the company that built the boat.

More than 9.8 million Chinese visited Thailand in 2017, accounting for the biggest share of the 35.38 million total foreign tourists.

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Oakland Athletics left-hander Ken Waldichuk had reconstructive surgery on his troublesome pitching elbow and will be sidelined all season, another tough injury blow for the pitcher this past year.

Already on the 60-day injured list with a ulnar collateral ligament sprain in his pitching arm, he was examined by Dr. Neal ElAttrache on Monday and it was determined he needed the procedure. Waldichuk suffered a setback in his rehab after facing hitters April 29.

The surgery performed by ElAttrache included a flexor tendon repair and a UCL reconstruction with internal brace procedure. Waldichuk will return to Oakland and his rehabilitation.

Waldichuk had been working his way back from an offseason procedure to remove scar tissue from his pitching elbow to help alleviate pain he experienced after his final start of the 2023 season.

Waldichuk pitched Sept. 29 on the road against the Los Angeles Angels and then began experiencing discomfort. He was later diagnosed with a flexor tendon strain and an ulnar collateral ligament sprain following an MRI exam.

He was first examined by Dr. Mike Freehill at Stanford and then also by ElAttrache. Waldichuk chose to go the conservative route for rehab and had a Tenex procedure with Dr. Steve Yoon on Oct. 17 to remove the scar tissue. He had a follow-up PRP injection to the flexor tendon on Oct. 24 and began physical therapy.

Waldichuk went 4-9 with a 5.36 ERA in 35 appearances and 22 starts with one save over 141 innings for the A’s in 2023, his first full big league season.

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FILE - Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Ken Waldichuk delivers during the first inning of the team's baseball game against the Chicago White Sox on Aug. 24, 2023, in Chicago. Waldichuk had reconstructive surgery on his troublesome pitching elbow and will be sidelined all season, another tough injury blow for the pitcher this past year. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast, File)