A man whose wife drowned when a boat capsized during their honeymoon in Thailand has told of the horrifying moment she and 31 others were killed.
Monica O’Connor, 28, from Sale, Greater Manchester, was on the island of Koh Samui with spouse Tim O’Connor, just three weeks after their wedding, when tragedy struck.
The boat had been taken out in a monsoon despite weather warnings, an inquest at South Manchester Coroner’s Court heard.
Mr O’Connor, 31, described to the coroner how the vessel was overcome by the waves during the trip in May last year, capsizing in seconds.
He managed to escape, but Monica was swept away and died.
He said: ‘It happened incredibly quickly. The boat tipped onto its left side, so everyone sitting on the right fell onto the people sitting opposite them.
‘Within a few seconds it tipped again. I lost my glasses, but it was so dark all you could see were people’s bodies.’
Monica O’Connor, 28, from Sale, Greater Manchester, was on her honeymoon in Koh Samui with husband Tim last May
As the upturned boat quickly filled with water he managed to swim out from under it.
‘It was quite chaotic,’ he said. ‘There were bits of the boat and life jackets floating around in the water.’
It was not until Mr O’Connor arrived at the hospital that he was told his wife had died, and he says it has never been clear whether she was found trapped under the boat or in the water.
‘The events of that day were terrifying and losing Monica has been devastating,’ he said.
‘Nothing can bring Monica back or undo the terrible loss I feel. But I hope this inquest can provide answers on whether more could have been done to ensure customer safety on the boat trip, and ultimately save Monica’s life.’
Of the 32 passengers on board, there were eight Britons, nine Germans, four Australians, four Romanians, six Chinese and two from Thailand.
The other Brit killed during the tragic incident, was Jason Parnell, 46, from Sileby, Leicestershire.
Mr Parnell was celebrating his first wedding anniversary with wife Puja, when the boat was capsized.
Jason Parnell, 46, pictured above on his wedding day with his wife Puja, 31, who escaped unhurt. They were celebrating their first wedding anniversary at the popular holiday resort
A hearing at South Manchester Coroner’s Court today heard they had been among 32 tourists on the boat when it capsized after it was hit by a wave as it returned from a day-long tour
Boat captain Sanan Sridakeow was jailed for a year and operator Limited Partnership Angthong Discovery Tour was fined after admitting recklessness following the crash, in which two people of other nationalities also drowned.
The court heard the boat had been taken out despite a warning for small boats not to sail due to a monsoon.
The boat was travelling from Mu Ko Ang Thong National Park when it was struck by the wave and capsized at 5pm local time.
Some of those on board were thrown into the water and became trapped underneath the boat.
Video and pictures captured the desperate rescue operations by locals and Thai marine police who had to use a hammer to smash through the hull to rescue the trapped victims.
Four tourists – from the UK, Australia, Germany and Romania – were taken to hospital on the island for treatment.
A heartbreaking photograph from the O’Connors’ wedding shows them holding hands underneath a cloud of pink blossom, while another shows the pair at the reception
Mrs Parnell told the court she and her husband had booked the trip before arriving in Thailand because of her husband’s love of boats.
But she said when they boarded in the morning of May 26 they were forced to disembark and wait while the vessel was moved because it had become stuck.
She said: ‘When we were waiting for the boat I knew something wasn’t right. Jason said I was being silly so we got back on the boat.’
Mrs Parnell and Mr O’Connor both said no safety briefing was given on board and passengers were only told to wear life jackets when snorkelling or kayaking during stops on the trip.
Mrs Parnell said when the boat started to return to land after the final stop the weather had got worse.
She said: ‘If I had a choice I wouldn’t have got back on. Something felt really uneasy.’
She described the boat being tipped on its side and then upside down after water came rushing through when it was hit by a wave.
She said: ‘I got stuck in the boat and didn’t know where anybody else was.’
Boat captain Sanan Sridakeow was jailed for a year and operator Limited Partnership Angthong Discovery Tour was fined after admitting recklessness following the crash, in which two people of other nationalities also drowned
Mrs Parnell was able to get a life jacket, which had been stored under the seats, and move to an air pocket where she was pulled to safety by rescuers
Mrs Parnell was able to get a life jacket, which had been stored under the seats, and move to an air pocket where she was pulled to safety by rescuers.
She said her husband’s body was not found until four days later.
Mr O’Connor told the court he and his Romanian-born wife had flown out to Thailand a few days after their wedding.
He said they had laughed with other tourists on the boat about the journey before the crash.
He said: ‘We we’re saying it wasn’t quite what we expected, it wasn’t a pleasure cruise – it was a speedboat ride.
‘Everyone was laughing but you think just get on with it, I suppose because once you’re that far out there’s only one way to get back.’
Dozens of tourists watched the aftermath of the speedboat crash as darkness fell
Mr O’Connor said once on land he spoke to a German woman who had told him she had seen his wife.
‘She said Monica’s face was white in the water,’ he said.
‘She didn’t say she was dead but I guess deep down I probably knew she was dead at that point.’
He said he went to hospital, hoping his wife had been among passengers who swam to another part of the shore, but once there was asked to identify her body.
The inquest is scheduled to last three days.