A Thai navy ship sunk in the Gulf of Thailand, and ships and helicopters were working Monday to rescue sailors from the water.
As of midmorning, 75 sailors had been rescued, and 31 were still in the water, the navy said.
Strong winds blew seawater onto the HTMS Sukhothai corvette and knocked out its electrical system Sunday evening. The Royal Thai Navy dispatched three frigates and two helicopters with mobile pumping machines to assist the disabled ship by removing the seawater, but it couldn’t do so because of the strong winds.
The loss of power allowed more seawater to flow into the vessel, causing it to list and sink.
It occurred while the warship was on patrol at sea 32 kilometers (20 miles) from the pier at Bangsaphan district in Prachuap Khiri Khan province.
While northern and central Thailand are seeing their coldest temperatures of the year, far southern Thailand has been experiencing storms and flooding recently. Ships were warned to stay ashore
Authorities said there were still 28 sailors stranded in the water on Monday after the HTMAS Sukhotai sank.
No fatalities have been reported, but three crew members are in critical condition.
Officials said the ship went down after it took on water, flooding its hull and short-circuiting its power room.
With the power lost, the crew battled to retain control of the ship, which listed onto its side before sinking around 23:30 local time Sunday (16:30 GMT).
The ship had been on patrol in waters just 32km (20 miles) off the coast of Bang Saphan district in the Prachuap Khiri Khan province when it got caught in the storm on Sunday.
Dramatic pictures posted by the Thai Navy’s Twitter account show the vessel listing onto its starboard side and backup rescue ships trying to find survivors in the choppy waters.
Authorities said the search continued through the night to find all the crew.
Local media have published pictures showing medical personnel at the dock taking crew members off in stretchers.