Royal Thai Navy chief Choengchai Chomchoengpaet (C) talks to media at the temporary shelter inside Mae Rumphung Beach, in Prachuap Khiri Khan Province, Thailand, 19 December 2022. The Royal Thai Navy ship HTMS Sukhothai, carrying over 100 crew, capsized and sank in rough seas in the Gulf of Thailand on late 18 December night. Authorities rescued most of the crew and a search for 31 missing sailors continued on 19 December, Thai Navy spokesman Pogkrong Monthardpalin said. EPA-EFE/THE ROYAL THAI NAVY.
Cape Town - Rescue efforts continue on Monday as ships and helicopters were working to rescue sailors from the water in the Gulf of Thailand after their navy ship sunk this weekend.
An air search was launched for 31 missing crew members of the navy corvette HTMS Sutkhothai, which sank during a storm in the Gulf of Thailand on Sunday night.
According to reports, as of mid-morning on Monday, 75 sailors had been rescued and 31 were still in the water, the navy said, citing reports by the Associated Press.
The Royal Thai Navy's corvette HTMS Sukhothai sunk today in the gulf of Thailand at the middle of the stromy sea. The ship said to lost both engine and water rushed in, caused the ship to lost stability and sunk. No one die in this accident. pic.twitter.com/M2IrM02fPq
— thaiarmedforce (@ThaiArmedForce) December 18, 2022
The HTMS Sukhothai, which is a Ratanakosin-class corvette commissioned in 1987, sank after water flooded its power controls on Sunday night. It was carrying over 100 crew when it capsized and sank during a storm in the Gulf of Thailand.
The navy announced an investigation into the cause of the disaster.
"This has almost never happened in our force's history, especially to a ship that is still in active use," spokesman Admiral Pogkrong Monthardpalin told the BBC.
According to Phuket local media reports, the rain that has soaked Phuket overnight and on Monday is expected to continue until Tuesday as the heavy wet weather continues to batter Southern Thailand’s east coast on the Gulf of Thailand, The Phuket News reported.
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