The bodies have been found of two South Korean men who drowned after their golfing buggy collided with one driven by their wives in northern Thailand.

The group were on a ferry on Wednesday preparing to cross the river that runs through the course in Phitsanulok province when the men were accidentally rammed by their wives in another.

The impact threw them all into the muddy waters of the Nan river, said Lieutenant Colonel Suwat Suawatmontri of the district police.

The women were promptly rescued by nearby fishermen.

More than 50 rescue workers from the military and police were involved in the search for the missing men: Jun Yong Sung, 68, and Jaeoong Ha, 76.

One body was found on Wednesday night about 1.2 miles from the accident site, while the other was discovered by villagers on Thursday morning “floating near a temple”, Suwat said. “Their wives said both were able to swim but I think the cause of drowning was the strong undercurrent.”

The two couples arrived in Thailand on Christmas Eve for a holiday.

Thailand typically draws more than 35 million visitors each year. But tourism took a hit in 2018 after a ferry carrying Chinese tourists in southern Thailand sank in July, with 47 people killed. The accident highlighted lax safety rules in the tourism sector and caused an immediate drop in visitor numbers.

Thai authorities have been scrambling to remake the country’s image since then, reacting swiftly to any issues facing tourists, especially those from China.