Thailand: rescue operation for 31 missing in the sinking of a military ship
Eva Deschamps / December 19, 2022
We are still looking for 31" of the 106 crew members of the HTMS Sukhothai, said Admiral Pogkrong Montradpalin.
At least 31 people are missing after a military ship capsized on Sunday night in the Gulf of Thailand, off Bang Saphan (south), a Royal Navy spokesman said Monday.
As a result of the "strong tide", the electrical system of the patrol corvette was damaged to the point of causing the machines ensuring its operation to stop, he explained.
The crew "lost control" of the vessel, which sank shortly after midnight, about 20 nautical miles (37 km) off the coast at Bang Saphan, Prachuap Khiri Khan province (south).
Navy images show the ship, completely tilted to one side, half submerged in the water.
Some 75 crew members were rescued by the two military helicopters, two frigates and the amphibious ship dispatched to the scene, according to a Navy statement.
The rescue mission, which started at 7 a.m., is still ongoing.
About 11 people were hospitalized in Bang Saphan.