Church lends support to injured Aussies

Church staff are supporting the families of four young women from Sydney's northern
beaches who were injured in a speedboat accident in Thailand.
Seven Australians were hurt when two speedboats collided near the resort island of
Koh Samui on Saturday.
More than 40 people were thrown off the two boats into the water after the collision
about 10pm (1am Sunday AEST).
Vanessa Kenny, 19, Natalie Hensby, 19, Katie Prichard, 18, and Chloe Bucknell, 20,
were eight days into their holiday when tragedy struck, Fairfax reported on Monday.
All four young women - whose injuries reportedly range from punctured lings to
fractured legs - are members of C3 Church Sydney at Oxford Falls.
In a statement on Monday, the church said it was "shocked and saddened" to hear of
the accident.
"Four of our church members were involved in the accident and we are in touch with
the families of the girls," it said.
"C3 Church staff and members are giving the families as much support as possible.
"We are grateful for all of the support from our friends and are looking forward to
the girls safe return."
The boats were ferrying the groups from a full moon party, where thousands of people
flock to take part in beachside parties which involve dancing, jugglers,
fire-eaters, alcohol and drugs.
C3 said the thoughts of the church's members were with all those injured in the
accident.
"We would like to extend our prayers to all of those who were involved in this
terrible accident," it said.
The injured were taken to a hospital at Koh Samui for medical treatment after the
collision.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) said all of the Australians had
received medical treatment for their injuries.
"Four of the Australians have been transferred to a hospital in Bangkok for further
treatment," the spokesman said.
"One Australian will be transferred to Bangkok later today.
"One Australian will be transferred directly to Australia in the coming days."
The injured were taken to a hospital at Koh Samui for medical treatment after the
collision.
Australian consular staff are in close contact with the families of the injured
Australians.
Tourists from a number of other countries were also injured in the collision.



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