The crew “lost control” of the ship, which listed and began to sink shortly after midnight
At least 31 people are still being searched after a Thai Navy corvette sank off Bang Saphan, south of Bangkok, on Sunday night.
“We are still looking for 31” of the 106 crew members of the HTMS Sukhothai corvette, said Admiral Pogrog Montradpalin, a spokesman for the Thai navy’s general staff.
We analyze events #และทั่วิติติด Preliminary sinking based on the information that has appeared, which still does not conclude the cause, but we believe that there is a Chain of Events, many events are connected until the ship sinks, with the most interesting point being Damage Controlhttps://t.co /QANdOyFShy pic.twitter.com/fbm19bKEGF
— thaiarmedforce (@ThaiArmedForce) December 19, 2022
The evacuation and search and rescue operation, in very adverse weather conditions, allowed the rescue of 75 crew members of the warship
Two military helicopters, two frigates and an amphibious ship are participating in the rescue operation, according to a statement from the Royal Thai Navy.
The naval mishap happened when, due to rough seas in the area, the operation of the system that guarantees the electrical supply of the warship was interrupted and the engines stopped, the admiral explained.
3) HTMS Sukhothai sinks off Bang Saphan district in Prachuab Khiri Khan at 11.30pm. #BangkokPost #Thailand pic.twitter.com/T4GwJAtZW2
— Bangkok Post (@BangkokPostNews) December 19, 2022
The crew “lost control” of the ship, which listed and began to sink shortly after midnight (local time; yesterday Sunday at 19:00 Greek time) about 20 nautical miles (37 kilometers) from the coast, at the level of Bang Shroud.
The Navy released photos and videos on Twitter showing some of the crew members, wearing orange vests, on a black inflatable dinghy being pulled away from the corvette in the dark and high waves.
2) HTMS Sukhothai sinks off Bang Saphan district in Prachuab Khiri Khan at 11.30pm. #BangkokPost #Thailand pic.twitter.com/aj7uN0rM1x
— Bangkok Post (@BangkokPostNews) December 19, 2022
In other shots, the warship is shown to have tilted on its side and is now half-flooded.
Some 11 crew members were admitted and are being treated at a hospital in Bang Saphan.
HTMS Sukhothai, a US-built corvette, entered service in 1987.
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