KHAN PRACHUAP: After a naval vessel sank, the search for 31 missing sailors by Thai military frigates and helicopters continued late on Monday, with dozens of others already recovered from the turbulent waters.
Late on Sunday, the HTMS Sukhothai sank about 37 kilometers off the Southeast Asian nation’s coast while it was patrolling the Gulf of Thailand.
Images shared by the Royal Thai Navy show some sailors surviving by jumping into a life raft at night. The Royal Thai Navy said 75 people had been rescued.
Emergency personnel and naval personnel were waiting at the blustery pier as search and rescue teams continued to search the waters for the 31 missing sailors. According to the navy statement, the operation involved two Seahawk helicopters, two frigates, and one amphibious ship.
The Royal Thai Air Force said, without going into specifics, that they had assisted in the operation. At the pier, naval commander Pichai Lorchusakul stated, “Our main priority is searching and rescuing as many as we can.”
The damage to the vessel’s electronics system is believed to have caused problems, according to the navy. The boat’s working frameworks quit working, making the boat let completely go,” a representative said.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-Cha stated earlier in the day that an investigation was underway into the incident’s root cause.
“I’m following the news intently, around five individuals are truly harmed,” he included a proclamation.
The navy said that the search was still going on over a 20-by-15-mile area, focusing on a stretch of sea 18 miles south of where the Sukhothai was last seen and where the latest survivors were found.
The ship capsized in one image that the navy shared, and in a video, a rescue boat was alongside the ship in rough waters. Following their rescue, men were shown in other images posted on the navy’s Twitter account covered in blankets.
A portion of those saved were being carried to an emergency clinic in Sattahip, while healthy group would be taken to a maritime base.
