PHUKET — Forty people were confirmed dead in a tourist boat accident off the coast of Phuket island, officials told reporter Friday.

The first body was found early Friday. Thirty-nine more were discovered in the afternoon, including 26 bodies trapped inside the sunk vessel, the Phoenix, which capsized amid rough waves in the sea Thursday.

Sixteen people are still missing, and the search effort continues. All boat passengers were Chinese tourists, officials said.

Police said they would charge the boat captain with fatal negligence for disregarding a weather forecast which urged boat operators in southern Thailand to stay ashore.

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