Thai navy ships and helicopters were searching for more than two dozen sailors who were still missing more than 12 hours after a warship sank in rough seas in the Gulf of Thailand overnight.
As of noon, 75 sailors from the HTMS Sukhothai corvette had been rescued and 31 were still in the water, the navy said. The high waves that caused the accident had subsided since Sunday night’s sinking, but they were still dangerous to small boats, according to the navy.
According to a rescued crew member who was interviewed by Thai PBS television, he had to float in the sea for three hours before being rescued. He said the ship was buffeted by 3-meter (10-foot) waves as it sank Sunday night, complicating rescue efforts.
“The waves are still high and we cannot search for them from the horizontal line. We have to fly the helicopters and search for them from a bird’s eye view instead,” navy spokesman Adm. Pokkrong Monthatphalin told Thai PBS.
Strong winds blew seawater onto the HTMS Sukhothai Sunday evening, knocking out its electrical system and making ship control difficult. The navy sent three frigates and two helicopters equipped with mobile pumping machines to assist the disabled ship by removing seawater, but they were unable to do so due to strong winds.
The loss of power allowed more seawater to flow into the vessel, causing it to list and sink.
The warship had been on patrol at sea 20 miles from the pier at Bangsaphan district in Prachuap Khiri Khan province. Pokkrong stated that the ship had been on routine patrol to assist any fishing boats in need.
“Our top priority right now is to save all of the sailors. “We intend to salvage the ship later,” he said. The search was being conducted in a 16-square-kilometre (6.2-square-mile) area surrounding the sinking site.
While northern and central Thailand is experiencing the coldest temperatures of the year, far southern Thailand has recently been hit by storms and flooding. Ships were advised to remain ashore.
