Search for 29 missing Thai sailors continues on 2nd day

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) – A search operation for 29 missing sailors is going on in the Gulf of Thailand on Tuesday after a Thai warship with 105 crew members on board sank on Sunday night.

Early today, Royal Thai Navy found one survivor who was part of the crew members on the HTMS Sukhothai warship.

The navy said in a statement that 76 of the total 105 personnel have been rescued, many of whom are receiving treatment.

A massive rescue operation involving warships and helicopters was launched in search of the crew members of HTMS Sukhothai warship which sank at around 11:30 p.m. (1630GMT Monday) on Sunday, off Prachuap Khiri Khan province, south of the capital Bangkok.

The navy said that “strong wind waves” are causing a disturbance in the rescue operation.

The corvette had suffered a power failure and subsequent flooding before it sank, some 20 nautical miles (37 nautical kilometers) off the coast of the Bang Saphan district in the central Thai province.

The navy said water had “flown into the electrical system” causing electricity outages and “major machines stopped working.”