Navy scours Chumphon waters for last 5 HTMS Sukhothai crew
The Royal Thai Navy (RTN) dispatched 28 Navy Seals and 53 divers on Saturday to hunt for the still missing five HTMS Sukhothai crew members.
The team will focus on seven islets and Makham Bay in the Gulf of Thailand off the coast of Chumphon province.
Vice Admiral Pichai Lorchusakul, commander of the First Naval Area Command, said it is believed the strong waves may have taken the bodies to these spots.
Meanwhile, five RTN ships, two helicopters and an aerial drone will continue circling around the wreckage site off Prachuap Khiri Khan and the Chumphon coast for signs of the missing crew.
The ill-fated warship sank some 20 nautical miles (32 kilometres) off the coast of Prachuap Khiri Khan’s Bang Saphan district on December 18 amid stormy weather with 105 crew onboard.
Seventy-six sailors were rescued and taken safely to shore, while 24 bodies have been found so far. No new bodies have been uncovered since Thursday.
Troops under the Army’s 2nd Infantry Division and RTN Marine Corps have also been scouring the beaches of Chumphon for sightings of bodies.
