A Thai government minister has blamed Chinese tour operators for the deaths of more than 40 people, most of them Chinese tourists, in a boat accident off a resort island last weekend, as divers search for 11 people still missing.
The boat, the Phoenix, went down in high seas on Thursday off the west-coast island of Phuket with 101 people on board, including 89 tourists and 12 crew, during an outing to a small island for snorkelling.
The death toll, which is likely to surpass 50, makes it the worst tourist-related disaster in Thailand in years and underscores long-standing concerns about its safety.
Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan has blamed Chinese tour operators for not respecting Thai safety legislation.
"Some Chinese use Thai nominees to bring Chinese tourists in ... they did not heed warnings ... which is why this incident happened. This needs to be remedied," Prawit said.
China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism issued an urgent circular on Saturday, stressing the importance of researching online travel companies when booking overseas trips.
Many of those onboard the Phoenix had booked travel independently via online tour operators, the ministry said.
"Officially, 11 people are still missing," Phuket provincial governor Noraphat Plodthong told a news conference.
"We will continue the search today."
Thailand's tourism ministry said it would give 1 million baht ($A40,438) in compensation to each family of the victims.
