Family of Israeli girl killed in Thailand fire returns home
Loved ones await delivery of 12-year-old’s body, as Thai authorities continue investigation into ferry blaze
The family of Shani Maril, the 12-year-old Israeli girl who died in a fire in Thailand last week, arrived back home in the city of Modiin on Sunday.
The family is still awaiting for the arrival of Maril’s body from Thailand, as Bangkok still needs to officially identify the young girl’s body.
Maril’s aunt, Anat, spoke to the media on Sunday, stating that the family is still awaiting the young girl’s body from Thailand. “Shani’s parents, sister and brother returned this morning to Israel,” she said.
“The identification process has not been completed and therefore it is not clear when the [body] will be sent from Thailand to Israel,” she added. “The family wishes to thank the Foreign Ministry for all of its assistance and support as well the Chabad chapter in Thailand.”
Maril was killed when a tour boat she was on with her family caught fire and sank in the Andaman Sea off Thailand’s southwestern coast on Wednesday.
She was the only fatality.
Maril’s body was found early Thursday morning by local authorities.
The girl was located 18 meters (59 feet) underwater by scuba divers conducting the search on behalf of the Thai navy, Channel 2 reported.
Representatives from the local Chabad house and the Israeli consulate were present at the scene.
“Divers found her body at around 11:00 am inside the toilet at the rear of the boat,” Lieutenant General Decha Butnampetch, southern region police commander, told AFP.
The victim was in Thailand to celebrate her bat mitzvah with her family.
Maril’s aunt insisted that, prior to the tragedy, Shani and her family had really enjoyed their time in the Southeast Asian country. She requested space from the media.
“We wish to remind and remember that until that moment, Shani had an amazing trip with her family, full of fascinating vistas and wonderful experiences, and she enjoyed every minute,” she said. “The family would like to thank everyone for their sympathy and desire to help. However, the family also wishes to honor her privacy and refrain from further media coverage.”
An Israeli rescue worker who was present at the scene of the accident told Channel 2 on Wednesday that the girl had died of smoke inhalation. It was unclear whether she drowned or had already suffocated by the time the ship sank.
Narong Woonchew, the deputy governor of Krabi province, said police were still investigating the cause of the fire, which engulfed the Ao Nang Princess boat that was carrying about 110 people and traveling from Krabi to Phuket, two of Thailand’s most popular beach resort areas.
Photos taken by rescuers, including the Krabi Marine Police, showed the abandoned vessel burning down almost to the waterline before sinking.
Sompong said the investigation of the fire would be difficult because the vessel had sunk.
Thailand’s tourist industry, which welcomes more than 20 million people a year, has suffered a black eye in recent years due to domestic political violence and several high-profile killings and unexplained accidental deaths of Westerners, but serious marine accidents are uncommon.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
