Search continues for remaining seven sailors from sunken Thai warship

BANGKOK: Thai Navy continues the search for another seven missing sailors after the HTMS Sukhothai sank during a storm in the Gulf of Thailand on Dec 18.

Navy spokesperson Pogkrong Montradpalin said the search team recovered the body of a missing sailor on the coast of Koh Samet in Chumphon province at 8.20 am (local time) today.

He said an autopsy and identification process would be conducted to confirm the identity.

As of 11.30 am (local time) on Wednesday, the Thai Navy had recovered the bodies of 22 missing sailors.

"A joint search operation along the shore, sea surface and underwater around the sunken warship continues for another seven missing sailors," 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.

-- BERNAMA