A huge search and rescue mission was underway on Monday for 31 sailors missing after a Thai Navy ship sunk in rough seas in the Gulf of Thailand.
The HTMS Sukhothai sank after strong winds blew seawater onboard and knocked out the vessel’s electrical system.
Dramatic pictures posted by the Thai Navy online show the vessel listing on to its starboard side, and back-up rescue ships trying to find survivors in the choppy waters.
Thai Navy ships and helicopters were searching on Monday for more than two dozen sailors still missing after more than 17 hours in the water. As of Monday afternoonlocal time, 75 sailors had been rescued, authorities said.
A rescued crew member interviewed by Thai PBS television said he had to float in the sea for three hours before he was rescued. He said that the ship was buffeted by 10ft high waves as it was sinking 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 Admiral Pokkrong Monthatphalin said.
After the ship lost power, the Thai Navy dispatched three frigates and two helicopters with mobile pumping machines to try to assist by removing the seawater but it could not do so because of the 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.
The ship had been on its regular patrol to assist any fishing boats needing help.
The Navy announced an investigation into the disaster.
“This has almost never happened in our force’s history, especially to a ship that is still in active use,” Admiral Pokkrong told the BBC.
