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The search for more than 30 sailors remains missing more than 17 hours after a Thai navy ship and helicopter sank in rough seas in the Gulf of Thailand on Monday.
As of Monday afternoon, 75 sailors of the frigate HTMS Sukhothai had been rescued, while 31 were still missing, the navy said. The waves that caused the accident have weakened since the sinking Sunday night, but are still strong enough to endanger small boats, the Navy said.
A rescued crew member who was interviewed by Thailand’s PBS TV said he had to float in the sea for three hours before being rescued. The boat was hit by 3-meter (10-foot) waves as it sank Sunday night, complicating rescue efforts, he said.
“The waves are still high and we cannot search for them from the horizon. We have to fly helicopters and search for them from a bird’s-eye view,” Navy spokesman Admiral Pokkrong Monthathphalin told Thailand’s public broadcaster.
Eleven rescued sailors are being treated in hospital. The navy denied local media reports that one death had been confirmed, saying the death was due to an accident with another ship.
Strong winds drove sea water onto the HTMS Sukhothai and knocked out its electrical system on Sunday night, making it difficult to control the ship. The Navy dispatched three frigates and two helicopters with mobile pumps to try to help the damaged ship by pumping sea water, but were unable to do so due to high winds.
Losing power allowed more seawater to flow into the vessel, causing it to list and sink.
Just hours before the accident, Thailand’s meteorological department issued a general regional forecast, saying waves in the Gulf of Thailand were expected to reach 2-4 meters (7-14 feet) high, accompanied by thunderstorms. It advised all vessels to “proceed with caution” and warned smaller vessels not to go to sea until Tuesday.
The Sukhothai was built in Tacoma, Washington and commissioned in 1987. With a maximum displacement of 959 tons and a length of 76.8 meters (252 feet), it is about medium size for a frigate, an armed vessel usually used for patrolling offshore waters.
The warship has been patrolling 32 kilometers (20 miles) from the pier in Bang Saphan district, Prashu province. The boat has been on regular patrols to assist any fishing boats that need help, Pokkrong said.
“Our priority now is to rescue all the sailors. We will plan to salvage the ship later,” he said. The search was conducted in an area of ​​16 square kilometers (6.2 square miles) around the site of the sinking.
While northern and central Thailand are experiencing some of the coldest temperatures this year, southern Thailand has been experiencing storms and flooding in recent days.
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