According to current information, the ship’s engines stopped working and the ship began to sink. An estimated thirty sailors are still missing.
The Thai Navy corvette HTMS Sukhothai sank at midnight local time in a storm.
In the Gulf of Thailand off Thailand, search and rescue operations have continued through the night to find the missing sailors.
There were 106 sailors on board at the time of the accident. 73 of them managed to be evacuated before the ship sank. Those who remained had to flee to the sea.
A representative of the Thai navy says that at least 31 sailors are still missing.
– More than 12 hours have passed, but we are continuing the search, the spokesman for the navy, the admiral Pogkrong Monthardpalin said For the British Broadcasting Corporation BBC (you will switch to another service).
According to current information, the ship’s engines stopped working, causing the corvette to sink a good 30 kilometers off the coast of Prachuap Khiri Khan.
According to a representative of the navy, it is a rare accident.
– This has almost never happened in the history of the navy. Especially for a ship that is still in active use, says Pogkrong Monthardpalin.
The US-made HTMS Sukhothai has been in use since 1987.
Three navy ships and two helicopters are involved in the search and rescue operation.
The Thai Navy has been tight-lipped about the condition of the rescued crew members.
At least so far, the authorities have not reported that Turma demanded any casualties.
Source: AFP, Reuters