At least 31 people are missing after a military ship capsized overnight in the Gulf of Thailand off Bang Saphan (south), a Royal Navy spokesman said on Monday.
“We are still searching for 31” of HTMS Sukhothai’s 106 crew, Adm. Pogkrong Montradpalin said.
Product of the “high tide”, the electrical system of the patrol corvette was damaged, to the point of causing the stoppage of the machinery that ensured its operation, he explained.
11 people hospitalized
The crew “lost control” of the ship, which sank just after midnight (1700 GMT), some 20 nautical miles (37 km) offshore, at Bang Saphan, in Prachuap Khiri Khan province ( south).
Navy images show the ship, fully tilted to one side, half submerged in water.
Some 75 crew members were rescued by the two military helicopters, two frigates and the amphibious ship sent to the scene, according to a navy statement. Some 11 people were hospitalized in Bang Saphan.
The rescue mission, which started at 7 am (0000 GMT), continues.
Source: BFM TV
