BANGKOK –
A Thai navy ship sank in the Gulf of Thailand and ships and helicopters were working Monday to rescue sailors from the water.
As of mid-morning, 75 sailors had been rescued and 31 were still in the water, the navy said.
Strong winds blew seawater onto the corvette HTMS Sukhothai and knocked out its electrical system on Sunday night. The Royal Thai Navy dispatched 3 frigates and 2 helicopters with mobile pumps to try to support the damaged ship by sucking in seawater but was unable to do so due to strong winds.
The power outage caused more seawater to flood the ship, causing it to tilt and sink.
The incident happened while the warship was patrolling the sea about 32 km from the pier in Bangsaphan district, Prachuap Khiri Khan province.
While northern and central Thailand are seeing the coldest temperatures of the year, Thailand’s remote south has been hit by storms and floods in recent days. Vessels were warned to stay ashore.
