Six tourists, including two Russians and one Chinese died when an overcrowded tourist ferry capsized and sank in eastern Thailand on Sunday. Around 200 other passengers were rescued, police said.

The double-decker ferry, packed with Thai and foreign tourists, left Lan island for a 30-minute evening trip to the resort town of Pattaya. Shortly after the boat departed, an engine problem prompted passengers on the first deck to rush to the second floor, causing the ferry to flip on its side and eventually sink.

"Witnesses said there were neither enough tubes nor life vests on the ferry. Some of those who cannot swim had to cling onto coolers or ice containers until rescuers came," said police Colonel Suwan Cheawnavinthavat.

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Three Thais — two women and a man — were killed along with a Russian man, a Russian woman and a Chinese man, said Suwan. The rest of the passengers were rescued, including a 12-year-old Russian boy who was in intensive care at a hospital. No others were hospitalised.

The ferry was operating over its capacity of 130 to 150 passengers at the time of the incident. Police are now looking for the ferry driver to investigate the cause of the accident, Suwan said.

Pattaya, which is about 60 miles southeast of Bangkok, has seen several fatal accidents in the water this year. Last month, an Indian tourist celebrating her wedding anniversary was killed while parasailing off the town's coast. In August, two Chinese tourists were killed in a speed boat accident near Pattaya's main pier.