Death toll from sunken Thai warship rises to 21

BANGKOK: Two more bodies have been recovered from the waters after a Thai warship sank during a storm in the Gulf of Thailand on Dec 18.

As of 11.30 am (local time) on Tuesday, the Thai Navy has recovered the bodies of 21 missing sailors.

Navy spokesperson Pogkrong Montradpalin said the search operation for another eight missing sailors would continue.

"We found two bodies this morning. An autopsy and identification process would be conducted to confirm their identities which will take about three to four days," he said.

On Dec 18, the corvette, HTMS Sukhothai carrying 105 sailors suffered an engine malfunction and sank about 20 nautical miles off the Prachuap Khiri Khan province at about 11.30 pm (local time).

A massive search and rescue operation was launched and a total of 76 sailors have been rescued so far.

Helicopters, warships and unmanned surveillance aircraft have been deployed to search for the remaining missing sailors.

Meanwhile, the Thai Navy vowed to conduct a thorough investigation and provide a full explanation on the tragedy soon.

-- BERNAMA