6 bodies retrieved from HTMS Sukhothai wreckage site on Saturday
As many as six bodies had been found at the HTMS Sukhothai wreckage site as of 1.30pm on Saturday, the Royal Thai Navy said in its latest Twitter feed.
All six bodies have been transported to hospitals for identification and autopsy. The navy reckons it will take three to four days to complete DNA tests and confirm the bodies belong to the 22 sailors declared missing.
Navy personnel and volunteers launched the search mission after HTMS Sukhothai, a Rattanakosin-class corvette, capsized during stormy weather with 105 crew onboard on Sunday night.
The ship sank some 20 nautical miles (32 kilometres) off the coast of Prachuap Khiri Khan’s Bang Saphan district.
Before Saturday, the search and rescue mission discovered seven bodies since Monday, and all have been confirmed to be Sukhothai’s crew members.
Navy spokesman Admiral Pokkrong Monthatphalin said that six navy ships have been dispatched to carry out the search mission on Saturday, namely Taksin, Naresuan, Kraburi, Narathiwat, T.114 and T.270. They were also joined by volunteer search teams and divers.
