Local knowledge saves 15 sports anglers, crew after boat sinks off Trat
Prospects looked bleak for 15 sports anglers and crew when their chartered boat hit a rock 16 miles off Kood Island in Trat province on Wednesday afternoon.
The day-trippers were bailing for their lives as seawater gushed into the boat, according to an SOS call received at 2.30pm by the local Royal Thai Navy base.
The Navy alerted officials at the Koh Kood Tambon Administrative Organisation (TAO), who scrambled three speedboats for a search and rescue mission.
The crew of the sinking boat managed to radio their position – 16.2 miles off Koh Kroood’s Laem Thian cape – before the line went dead.
When the three rescue boats finally arrived at the scene there was no trace of either the stricken vessel or those who had been onboard.
TAO mayor Dechathorn Chan-ob, who was leading the rescue mission, then drew on his local knowledge of marine conditions and directed the rescue boats to follow the flow of the tide.
Rescuers finally spotted a huddle of people in life vests holding hands in the sea at 5.15 pm.
Dechathon said all appeared to be in good condition except one woman who was suffering fatigue.
All 15 survivors were rushed to land and taken to a nearby hospital.
The fishing boat is owned by Pornphan Samrarnruen, a resident of Trat’s Laem Ngob district. She had reportedly been renting the boat to leisure anglers.
