Naval divers to join search for five missing trawler crew members off Sattahip
The special operations unit of the First Naval Fleet Area and a rescue team are searching for five missing crew members from a trawler which capsized in the Samae San Sea off Sattahip district of Chon Buri.
Rear Admiral Paraj Ratanajaipan, spokesman for the Royal Thai Navy, said today that the First Naval Fleet Area planned to send a specialist team of divers to search for the missing crew once the sea is calm and the water is clear enough for the safety of the divers.
He said that the Royal Thai Navy and the National Maritime Interests Protection Centre use SARMAP, which is specialised computer modelling software developed to predict the drift trajectory of objects or people in water to plan maritime rescue operations. Adding that aerial, sea surface and undersea searches will be conducted simultaneously.
The five missing crew are all migrant workers from Myanmar aged between 22 and 47. One was rescued from the sea yesterday.
The trawler, ‘Sor Kanchanawaree 888’, had a complement of 21. 16 were rescued after the vessel capsized and the skipper drowned. Five crew were injured.
Prasert Pitakkorn, the mayor of Samae San sub-district, said that the sea was rough and wind was strong yesterday when the vessel capsized.