Thai Navy continues search for remaining 23 sailors

BANGKOK: Thai rescue teams raced against the clock to find the remaining 23 sailors after a navy corvette sank during a storm at the Gulf of Thailand on late Sunday night.

The Royal Thai Navy said to date, 75 sailors have been rescued from HTMS Sukhothai with one sailor found alive on Tuesday about 60 km from where the vessel sank. He was reported to be in weak but stable condition.

The rescue teams also discovered bodies of six missing sailors on Tuesday.

"To date, there are 23 sailors still missing," it said.

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) on Sunday.

Initially, Navy officials said 106 people were on board but revised that number to 105 on Tuesday.

Navy ships, planes helicopters were deployed to scan a 50 square km area over the Gulf of Thailand to find survivors.

Navy chief of staff Adm. Cholatit Navanukroa thanked the Malaysian and the United States navy for offering help to search for the missing sailors.

-- BERNAMA