The Thai navy reports that 31 sailors are missing after a warship carrying more than 100 crew members flipped and drowned in the Gulf of Thailand during a storm.
The HTMS Sukhothai sank Sunday night when water filled its power controls. Images supplied by the navy depicted surviving crew members in a survival raft.
Authorities said on Monday that they had rescued 75 sailors, but 31 remained missing due to strong waves.
“We will continue our search,” a navy official told.
Search personnel worked through the night to locate survivors, and the operation will continue on Monday with aid from the air force.
In addition, the navy announced an investigation into the disaster’s cause.
Admiral Pogkrong Monthardpalin, a spokesman for the force, told: “This has nearly never occurred in our force’s history, especially to a ship in active service.”
Following their rescue, the navy tweeted images of crew members wrapped in blankets and receiving medical care. Some patients were evacuated to the hospital.
Other photographs showed Sukhothai sailors in a life raft after jumping from the sinking ship.
An unidentified crewmember reported spending many hours in the sea before being rescued.
“When the ship sank, the waves were around three meters high,” he stated in a film broadcast by local media. “I donned the life vest and leaped. Swimming for three hours”
According to officials, the ship sank after taking on water, which swamped its hull and shorted out its power room.
With the power off, the crew struggled to maintain control of the listing ship, which sank around 23:30 local time on Sunday (16:30 GMT).
Sunday, while on patrol 32 kilometers (20 miles) east of Bang Saphan in the province of Prachuap Khiri Khan, the ship was caught in a storm.
Images sent to the Thai Navy’s Twitter account depict the vessel listing on its side and rescue ships searching for survivors in turbulent waters.
Three naval vessels and helicopters were dispatched to assist, but only the HTMS Kraburi arrived before the vessel sank.
According to the navy, the frigate took up the majority of the Sukhothai’s crew. On the water and in life rafts, life vest-wearing sailors were spotted. The navy has provided minimal information regarding their status. Local media shared images of the medical staff at the pier transporting crew members on stretchers.
Monday, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-Cha issued a statement confirming an investigation into the accident.
“I am closely monitoring the news – around five people are in critical condition,” he stated.
In the mid-1980s, the HTMS Sukhothai was constructed in the United States for the Thai navy.
