Dramatic video shows 18 tourists being rescued off a rickety ferry as it sank off the coast of Cambodia.
The boat began sinking at 4 p.m. on Thursday near Daem Thkov, a remote fishing village on the southwestern shore of the idyllic island of Koh Rong, the Khmer Times reported.
The ferry typically transports supplies but also allows tourists to take budget-friendly $5 trips along the Cambodian coast from Sihanoukville to Koh Rong.
The footage showed the vessel slowly tipping as its contents and the passengers spilled into the rocking water.
Footage shows the moment a tourist and supply ferry began sinking near the remote village of Koh Rong. NF/newsX
The footage shows debris from the sinking ferry drifting into the ocean, along with passengers. NX
One passenger clung for his life to a piece of debris while onlookers desperately tried to throw an inflatable raft at him.
The 18 rescued tourists have yet to be identified, local media notes.
Eighteen tourists were rescued by a nearby boat during the melee. NXWhile the exact cause of the incident is unknown, unconfirmed reports blamed the sinking on a faulty bilge pump, according to the outlet.
Tourists and locals have previously been victims of the waters off Koh Rong. In September 2022, two Cambodian crew members abandoned their wooden fishing vessel foundered near Cambodia’s Koh Tang island, leaving at least one person dead and 19 missing.
