After warship sinks, Thailand navy searches for 31 sailors

The Thai navy is hunting for 31 missing servicemen after their vessel sunk in heavy waves in the Gulf of Thailand.

The HTMS Sukhothai sank Sunday evening while on patrol around 37 kilometers (22 miles) from the nation’s southern coast.

The navy said that as of Monday afternoon, 75 personnel from the corvette had been rescued and 31 were still missing. The waves that triggered the catastrophe have diminished since the sinking, but were still high enough to harm small vessels, according to the navy.

Monday’s announcement from the air force confirmed its participation in the operation. It provided no specifics.

According to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, the incident’s cause is being probed. “I am keenly monitoring the news,” he added in a statement. About five persons have suffered major injuries.

A crew member who was recovered and interviewed by Thai PBS television stated that he drifted for three hours before being rescued. As the ship sank, three-meter-tall (10-foot-tall) waves reportedly pummeled it.

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Pokkrong Monthatphalin, a spokesperson for the Thai navy, told Thai PBS, “The waves are still strong, so we cannot search from a horizontal line. Instead, we must pilot the helicopters and hunt for them from above.”

Eleven of the rescued sailors were receiving medical treatment at the hospital. The navy refuted a local media story that one verified death had occurred, stating that the mortality was the result of an accident involving another vessel.

A few hours prior to the disaster, Thailand’s Meteorological Department issued a weather notice for the surrounding area, stating that the Gulf of Thailand will be experiencing thunderstorms and waves between 2 and 4 meters (7 to 14 feet) in height. It advised all vessels to “proceed with care” and cautioned tiny vessels not to set sail until Tuesday.

The 1987 launch of the Sukhothai occurred in Tacoma, Washington, in the United States. It is a medium-sized corvette, a kind of armed warship often employed for monitoring coastal seas. It has a maximum displacement of 959 tons and is 76.8 meters in length (252 feet).

The warship was on patrol 32 kilometers (20 miles) away from the Bangsaphan district pier in Prachuap Khiri Khan province. Pokkrong stated that the ship was on a routine patrol to assist any fishing vessels in need.

“Rescuing all the sailors is now our first priority,” he added. We aim to rescue the ship at a later date.

Northern and central Thailand are enjoying their lowest temperatures of the year, while extreme southern Thailand has been suffering rains and flooding over the past several days.