Thai navy ship sinks; 31 sailors missing
31 crew members are still missing after a Royal Thai Navy warship sank on Sunday night after colliding with high waves.
About 30 kilometres off the shore of Prachuap Khiri Khan province, the corvette HTMS Sukhothai capsized.
The battleship, according to the navy, was pounded by high winds and waves before it flooded and its pump engine failed.
The ship, which was en route to a memorial service, had more than 100 crew members.
Rescue efforts are under way for 31 sailors who have vanished.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha encouraged officials to use all available means to locate individuals who are missing. Drones, helicopters, and ships are present.
The HTMS Sukhothai sank after water flooded its power controls on Sunday night. Images shared by the navy showed some crew who survived in a life raft.
On Monday, authorities said they had rescued 75 sailors, but 31 were still missing in rough seas.
“We will keep looking,” a navy spokesman told the BBC.
The navy also announced an investigation into the cause of the disaster.
“This has almost never happened in our force’s history, especially to a ship that is still in active use,” spokesman Admiral Pogkrong Monthardpalin told the BBC.
Thai navy ship sinks; 31 sailors missing
Footage shared by the navy on Twitter showed crew members wrapped in blankets and receiving treatment after they had been rescued. Some were being airlifted to hospital.
The ship was made in America and put into service in 1987.
