Dramatic Rescue Underway After Thai Navy Ship Sinks in Rough Seas
75 Rescued, 31 Still Missing After HTMS Sukhothai Sinks
Rescue teams scrambled on Monday to find survivors more than 12 hours after the HTMS Sukhothai corvette went down off Thailand’s coast. By 5am UK time, the Thai navy confirmed 75 sailors had been pulled from the sea, while 31 remained missing amid treacherous conditions.
Fierce Waves and Strong Winds Hamper Search
The ship was hit by towering three-metre (10-foot) waves on Sunday night, causing it to list before sinking. Although the waves have calmed somewhat, they remain high enough to endanger rescue boats. One crew member, rescued after drifting for three hours, told Thai PBS the sea was relentless during the disaster.
“The waves are still high, and we can’t find them from the horizontal line. We have to fly the helicopters and search for them from a bird’s eye view instead,” said navy spokesman Admiral Pokkrong Monthatphalin.
Power Failure Seals Ship’s Fate
Strong winds blew seawater onboard, knocking out the ship’s electrical system and making control impossible. The navy sent three frigates and two helicopters with pumping gear to save the vessel, but heavy winds thwarted these efforts. More seawater flooded in, forcing the ship to sink 32 kilometres off the Bangsaphan district pier in Prachuap Khiri Khan province.
Search Continues Amid Challenging Weather
The navy is scouring a 16-square-kilometre area around the sinking site. The HTMS Sukhothai had been on a routine patrol to assist local fishing boats when disaster struck. Admiral Pokkrong stressed the mission’s priority:
“Our top priority right now is to save all of the sailors. We intend to salvage the ship later.”
While northern Thailand shivers through its coldest spell of the year, southern provinces have been battered by storms and flooding, adding urgency to the rescue mission.
