15 sailors still missing from sunken corvette as search continues in Gulf
Seven more bodies were found floating in the sea on Saturday, bringing the unofficial death toll from the sunken HTMS Sukhothai to 14, as the search for the 15 remaining missing sailors neared the end of its sixth day.
A navy source said HTMS Taksin found the first body at 11.37am and HTMS Kraburi recovered it from the sea. At 12.10pm, patrol ship 113 found a body and HTMS Kraburi recovered it. An aircraft detected another body at 12.15pm and HTMS Taksin recovered it from the sea.
On Friday, another body was found near the spot where HTMS Sukhothai sank in the Gulf of Thailand. Pending confirmation of the identities of all bodies found on Friday and Saturday, the known death toll would rise to 14.
However, the official figure of dead crewmen and the number still missing has yet to be released by the navy.
Royal Thai Navy spokesman Adm Pokkrong Monthatpalin said earlier on Saturday that an air and sea search by the navy and other agencies was continuing. Diving teams were also active at the spot where HTMS Sukhothai sank.
He said divers from HTMS Kraburi were looking for missing crew who might be trapped inside the sunken ship, and will survey the vessel ahead of a salvage operation. However, strong undersea currents are hampering dive operations, he added.
HTMS Sukhothai, with 105 people on board, capsized on Sunday night as it was patrolling in rough seas off Bang Saphan district in Prachuap Khiri Khan province.
Seventy-six sailors were rescued alive. Of the 14 bodies recovered, eight have been officially confirmed as being crewmen from the ship.