Race Against Time: Missing crew’s fate uncertain amidst stormy seas. Phang Nga readies for an update on the Sawan Tour boat incident. The Governor established a command centre and urged search teams in a coordinated and intensive effort. Teams persist in air and sea operations, seeking a miracle.
Stormy weather off the Southern provinces is severely buffeting the travel plans for both foreign tourists and Thais heading to the idyllic islands in the region seeking to enjoy the end-of-year festivities. Hopes are fading for the lives of a 56-year-old female foreign tourist and a Thai cook lost at sea on Saturday morning off Phang-nga. In the meantime, six crew members from a crab fishing vessel that sank two days earlier off Trat province were also being searched for. Rescue operations are being conducted at sea and in the air. On Monday, there were reports that 73 foreign tourists were rescued as they floated in a vessel adrift at sea off Satun province.
The rough seas have led to ferry postponements and widespread disruption to travel plans linked with seafaring operations.
Authorities in the coastal regions of the kingdom are still battling with the aftereffects of inclement weather at sea amid fading hopes.
Fears are rising for the lives of six members of a crab fishing vessel which sank on December 21st. The incident occurred off Trat province between Ko Rang and Ko Klum.
In short, authorities in the Ko Chang district of the province are coordinating a desperate sea rescue operation.
Ongoing search for missing 56-year-old female foreign tourist and tour boat’s cook off the Surin Islands in Phang-nga. Hopes fade as a miracle is sought
Officials are trying to locate the survivors of the six-member crew of the boat. They are being supported by air surveillance with aircraft and helicopters.
At the same time, a search is continuing in Phang-nga province after a tourist boat sank on Saturday.
The operation in waters off the Surin Islands is trying to find a missing 56-year-old female foreign tourist and a Thai cook. The pair were found missing after a dramatic rescue that morning. This was launched when the Sawan Tour boat began to take in water in stormy seas.
The boat was carrying tourists on an early-hours diving expedition when it encountered difficulties. The tourist boat capsized near Torila Island. This was 4.07 nautical miles off the Surin Islands National Park in the southern province.
At the same time, there are reports of another distressing incident off Satun, the capital of Satun province in the south of the country. Here it is understood 73 foreign tourists were reportedly found adrift in the middle of the sea. This occurred in the last 48 hours.
The report comes from the Satun Harbour Master.
Search mission launched from Satun finds 73 foreign tourists adrift at sea. Chaos at sea as hundreds of thousands of foreign tourists fly in to go South
The news came after a search mission was launched when reports were received of a boat which had sunk off the coast of Satun.
The weather conditions in the south have led to postponements of countless ferry crossings.
Certainly, regular seafaring operations in the region have been disrupted out of concern for the safety of passengers.
This is a particularly busy time for the tourism business in the area. Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of foreign tourists are flying into Suvarnabhumi Airport and Phuket International Airport.
Many are heading south to the idyllic islands. Undoubtedly, the area is a favourite with foreign tourists from all over the world at this time of year. Similarly, sea ferry services and passengers are also catering for domestic tourists.
Many Thais, like foreign arrivals, head south for the festive season and New Year celebrations.
Given that we have already seen a series of sea disasters, authorities have ratcheted up safety and security protocols.
Desperate air and sea search for Six member crew of a fishing vessel which sank on Thursday, December 21st. Fears for the lives of all involved now rising
In the meantime, the Ko Chang Provincial Administrative Organisation is engaged in a frantic search for six missing crew members off Trat province.
The boat capsized in the early hours of December 21, 2023, between Ko Rang and Ko Klum in the Ko Chang District of the province.
The operation, now in its fourth day, faces the challenging rough seas. Fears and uncertainty about the fate of the missing crew members are rising.
Ko Chang Police Station, along with the Ko Chang Maritime Security Center and local authorities, are driving search and rescue efforts.
Previously, life-saving equipment from the sunken vessel was found missing in the search. This included essential gear to stay afloat at sea. At the same time, the crew’s whereabouts remain unknown.
The search area, spanning Ko Rang and Ko Klum, is difficult to navigate due to adverse weather conditions. This has made it challenging to locate the missing crew even if they have survived. This appears, however, increasingly unlikely
On Monday, Mr Natthaphong Sanguanchit, Governor of Trat Province, expressed the gravity of the situation.
He said, at this point, the crew’s status, whether alive or deceased, could not be ascertained definitively.
Divers find life-saving equipment missing from the boat. Hope remains that the crew may be using it and awaiting rescue somewhere at sea in rough weather
Divers investigated the sunken boat and discovered the missing life-saving equipment, indicating the crew might have utilised it. However, the stormy seas and unpredictable waves have hindered efforts to determine what has become of the crew.
A desperate search operation is being coordinated by the Ko Chang Maritime Security Center. This includes local village officials and volunteers. Crews entered the incident area and surrounding waters on December 25, 2023. They are supported by aerial reconnaissance flights.
Despite continuous efforts, there has been no update on their progress. Concern for the crew’s well-being is escalating.
Mr Naris Palakawong Na Ayutthaya, Ko Chang District Chief, is coordinating with various government agencies. This includes CMU/1, Ko Chang Police Station, and Mu Ko Chang National Park personnel.
Additionally, a navy plane has been deployed to search within a 30-nautical-mile radius. Unfortunately, as of now, no trace of the missing crew members has been detected.
Press conference planned in relation to the missing female foreign tourist and a tour boat’s cook after it sank on Saturday morning after a rescue at sea
At the same time, a frantic search continues in Phang-nga as officials deal with the Sawan Tour boat incident near Torila Island. In this case, a sightseeing tour boat capsized, resulting in 16 crew members being rescued.
However, two individuals, one Thai and one foreign woman, were subsequently reported missing. The incident occurred 4.07 nautical miles from the Surin Islands, leading to a three-day intensive search.
Fears for the lives of a female foreign tourist and boat cook lost at sea on Saturday off Phang-nga province
Governor Supoj Rodruang Na Nong Khai of Phang Nga Province has established a forward command centre in Kuraburi District to deal with that emergency. He is urging all relevant units to join in the search.
Teams dream of miracles as last-minute air and sea operations continue to find missing foreign tourist, boat’s cook and fishing crew members lost at sea
The Maritime Navigation Control Center in Sornchon Provincial Police Station has collaborated with the 3rd Region Fleet. Units are patrolling and searching the specified areas according to the SAR (Search and Rescue) Map. The search effort is also engaging with fishing boats and tour boats in the region to report any sightings.
At length, the situation is evolving although hope is fading. At this point, a miracle is sought here too.
Officials are set to hold a press conference in Phang Nga Province to provide updates on the tour boat incident.
Meanwhile, the search for the missing fishing boat crew members off the coast of Ko Chang continues for now.
Both operations are buffeted by uncertainty as rescuers face challenging maritime conditions and time is running out.
Join the Thai News forum, follow Thai Examiner on Facebook here
Receive all our stories as they come out on Telegram here
Follow Thai Examiner here
Further reading:
Top brass in Bangkok order a deeper probe into deaths of a business tycoon and his wife on Ko Tao
Tragic deaths of Thai Indian tycoon and his wife after checking into luxurious Ko Tao island resort
Remains of Ukrainian ambassador to Thailand who died on Ko Lipe on Sunday sent to Bangkok
Dutch national identified from CCTV using police biometric system after Ko Tao theft and arrested
Koh Tao claims by UK teenager questioned by Thai police – arrest warrants indicated for some media
Myanmar men who murdered two UK backpackers on Ko Tao have their death sentences commuted to life
Mobile phone of Ukrainian woman key to the puzzle as police decide between murder or suicide
