Thai navy searching for 31 missing sailors after warship sinks in rough seas
Thai navy ships and helicopters are searching for more than two dozen missing sailors after a warship sank in rough seas overnight in the Gulf of Thailand.
Rescue efforts were underway on Monday to find survivors, who have now been unaccounted for more than 12 hours after the vessel sank.
As of midday (5am GMT), 75 sailors from the HTMS Sukhothai corvette had been rescued and 31 were still in the water, according to the Thai navy.
The high waves which caused the accident had lessened since Sunday night's sinking, but were still high enough to endanger small boats, the navy added.
A rescued crew member said he had to float in the sea for three hours before he was saved.
He told Thai PBS television that the ship was buffeted by waves three metres (10 feet) high as it was sinking, complicating rescue efforts.
"The waves are still high and we cannot search for them from the horizontal line. We have to fly the helicopters and search for them from a bird’s eye view instead," navy spokesman Admiral Pokkrong Monthatphalin told Thai PBS.
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HTMS Sukhothai got into trouble when strong winds blew seawater onboard and knocked out its electrical system, making control of the ship difficult.
In response, the navy dispatched three frigates and two helicopters with mobile pumping machines to try to assist the disabled ship by removing the seawater, but it couldn't do so because of the strong winds.
More seawater was able to flow onto the vessel due to the loss of power, causing it to list and sink.
HTMS Sukhothai had been on patrol at sea 32 kilometres (20 miles) from the pier at Bangsaphan district in Prachuap Khiri Khan province.
Admiral Pokkrong said the ship had been on its regular patrol to assist any fishing boats needing help.
"Our top priority now is to rescue all the sailors. We will plan to have the ship salvaged later," he added.
Rescuers were searching an area spanning 16 square kilometres (6.2 square miles) around the site of the sinking.
While northern and central Thailand are seeing their coldest temperatures of the year, far southern Thailand has been experiencing storms and flooding in recent days.