Asia - Pacific

Days after warship sinks, 11 Thai sailors still missing

Thai warship sinks on night of Dec. 18 with 105 personnel aboard, 76 survivors found

Riyaz ul Khaliq  | 26.12.2022 - Update : 26.12.2022
Days after warship sinks, 11 Thai sailors still missing Credit: Royal Thai Navy

ISTANBUL

The Thai Navy on Monday said its 11 sailors are yet missing after a warship sank nine days ago in the Gulf of Thailand.

Out of a total of 105 personnel aboard the HTMS Sukhothai warship that sank on Dec. 18, the navy found 76 survivors, it added.

"18 have died but eight of them have not been identified," the Thai Royal Navy said in a statement on Twitter. "11 men remain missing as of today."

A massive rescue operation involving warships and helicopters was launched in search of the crew members of the HTMS Sukhothai warship, which sank off the Prachuap Khiri Khan province, south of Bangkok, at around 11.30 p.m. (1630GMT) on the night of Dec. 18.

The corvette sank after a power failure and subsequent flooding 20 nautical miles off the coast of the Bang Saphan district in central Thailand.

According to the navy, water "flowed into the electrical system," causing power outages and "major machines to stop working."

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