By Oyintari Ben
Over 100 sailors needed to be rescued after a Thai naval ship capsized on Sunday night in the Gulf of Thailand due to a storm.
The HTMAS Sukhotai sank on Monday, and according to authorities, there were still 28 seamen missing in the water.
Three crew members are in serious condition, but there have been no confirmed fatalities.
According to officials, the ship sank after absorbing water, which flooded its hull and short-circuited its power room.
The crew fought to maintain control of the ship after the power went out, but it leaned to one side before sinking at 23:30 local time on Sunday (16:30 GMT).
The ship was trapped in the storm on Sunday as it was on patrol in waters 32 kilometres (20 miles) off the coast of Bang Saphan district in the province of Prachuap Khiri Khan.
Dramatic images shared by the Thai Navy on Twitter show the ship listing to its starboard side and backup rescue ships searching the turbulent waters for survivors.
Only the frigate HTMAS Kraburi managed to reach the ship before it sank out of the three navy ships and helicopters that were dispatched to help. The navy said that 78 of the 106 sailors aboard the Sukhotai were saved by the ship.
The other 28 soldiers, three of whom were in serious condition, were still being retrieved, according to the navy.
It’s uncertain if all of them have been found. The navy announced in a statement that as of Monday morning, 28 of the 106 crew members were still “in the water.”
According to the authorities, the crew was still being sought after the next morning.
Pictures of medical professionals at the dock escorting crew members off in stretchers have been released in local media.
