A search operation is underway off the coast of Phuket for a man missing after a small fishing boat sank on Sunday, September 10. The Phuket News reports that another man drowned in the incident. It’s understood there were four men who went to sea in the vessel, which got into difficulty in big waves off Koh Aew, south of Cape Panwa.
A search operation was launched at 2pm yesterday, successfully recovering 2 crewmen, who had survived by swimming to shore. They were taken to Chalong Pier and from there to Chalong Hospital.
The search party also recovered the body of Witthaya Maliwan, aka ‘Aod’, who had drowned, with efforts to find the fourth man, named as Mr Khwan Ruea, continuing. The Phuket Fisheries Office, a Royal Thai Navy patrol boat, and the Tourist Assistance Centre are all helping with the search.
An ambulance from Chalong Hospital remains on standby to offer emergency care to anyone brought ashore, while Rewat Areerob, president of the Phuket Provincial Administrative Organisation, and Rawai Mayor Aroon Soros are coordinating efforts on land.
One of the men who survived the sinking by swimming to shore says he left Palai Pier with his three friends in the small 3-seat fiberglass boat. Abidin Tummali says the party set out at around 10.00am, but encountered large waves some time after. He says the waves continued to grow in size, hitting the boat from all sides, and causing it to take on water, then sink.
The search for Mr Kwan continues today.
SOURCE: The Phuket News
