6 Dead, 23 Still Missing from Navy Corvette Lost in Thai Gulf

Two days after a Thai naval ship capsized, the bodies of six sailors had been pulled from the water. The Royal Thai Navy said that 23 more people were still missing.

Six sailors from the corvette HTMS Sukhothai, designated FS-442, have been found and rescued from the Gulf of Thailand after many days of search and rescue efforts, the Navy announced on Wednesday morning.

Lt. Samart Kaewphaluek, Chief Petty Officer Atcha Kaewsuphan, Chief Petty Officer Amnart Pimtee, Petty Officer 1st Class Chakkrapong Poonpol, and Seaman Akkraradetch Phobat were the six sailors whose deaths were officially confirmed. There was still one more sailor who needed to be identified.

Out of its 106 crew members, 76 have been saved. Due to choppy seas, the ship started taking in water Sunday while it was on patrol in the gulf. The ship lost control as a result of a power outage, and it sank over night. Before the Sukhothai sank, only one navy ship responded to its SOS. The crew was largely saved.

Air and sea search and rescue activities are still in progress.

About two nautical miles off the coast of the province of Prachuap Khiri Khan, the ship capsized on Sunday night. It was in route to a memorial service honouring Prince Abhakara Kiartivongse, known as "The Father of the Thai Navy" for founding the Siamese Navy, on the occasion of his passing on the 100th anniversary of his passing.