Ministry launches emergency mechanism

Most Chinese tourists involved are individual travelers who have ordered products through online platforms. They come from provinces such as Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Guangdong, Liaoning and Henan, according to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

The ministry will cooperate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Chinese embassy and consulate in Thailand to search for and rescue the missing tourists, and provide treatment and comfort to rescued tourists, the ministry said in a release on Friday.

The ministry launched an emergency mechanism on Thursday night requiring its branch in Thailand to close following the accident and cooperate with the local embassy and consulate to handle matters, it said.

Relevant departments within the ministry have been told to verify and check information of tourists involved, and offer guidance to provincial tourism administrative departments to handle the case, according to the release from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.