By TARYN KAUR PEDLER, FOREIGN NEWS REPORTER and WILL STEWART

Published: 10:32 GMT, 11 January 2026 | Updated: 10:52 GMT, 11 January 2026

One person has died and 22 people were left injured after a tourist speedboat crash threw 55 people into the sea off Thailand.  

A major rescue operation was underway after the packed speedboat collided head-on with a fishing trawler off the popular Phi-Phi Islands on Sunday morning.

All 52 tourists and three crew on the Korawich Marine 888 were left floating in the sea following the disaster.

One Russian tourist, Elizaveta S, 18, from Russia, died despite frantic efforts to revive her by medics.

The Russian consulate-general in Phuket Yegor Ivanov confirmed the death of the Russian teenager.

'The Consulate General has received information about the death of a Russian citizen,' he said. 'We are continuing to investigate the circumstances of this incident.'

Witnesses described scenes of panic as passengers shouted and scrambled to help family members and fellow tourists stay afloat.

'People were screaming and holding onto each other. Some were pulling their loved ones out of the water,' one account said.

A major rescue operation was underway after the packed speedboat collided head-on with a fishing trawler off the popular Phi-Phi Islands on Sunday morning

All 52 tourists and three crew on the Korawich Marine 888 were left floating in the sea following the disaster

One stricken passenger shouted: 'What the hell are you doing?'

The front of the speedboat was torn off from the impact of the collision causing it to overturn and sink in the Andaman Sea.

The accident happened near Koh Gai Island, close to the Phi Phi Islands, in waters between Phuket and Krabi, according to Thai authorities and local media.

Reports said that all those on the stricken tourist vessel were rapidly plucked from the sea and taken to the shore.

But there were at least 22 injuries among the tourists. Among the wounded were 19 foreign tourists and three crew from Thailand.

One was initially reported in a critical condition and was rushed to Phi Phi Hospital.

The remaining injured were treated by paramedics and transferred to hospitals in Phuket for further observation.

Initial reports said that many of those on board were Russian speaking.

Emergency services and nearby vessels reached the scene quickly.