The Royal Thai Navy has announced that the number of seafarers who lost their lives following the tragic sinking of the HTMS Sukhothai a week ago has risen to 18, with eleven seafarers still missing.
The ship was carrying 105 crew members when the vessel started taking on water on December 18 after battling a storm while underway in the Gulf of Thailand. The ship got into trouble after losing engine power causing it to lose stability and tilt on one side before it finally capsized.
Search and rescue teams managed to save 76 people from the water immediately after the sinking.
It has been reported that the vessel was carrying 30 people more than usual and that there were not enough life jackets for all people on board. Some of the personnel tried to escape into inflatable rafts as the ship was battling high waves.
The navy dismissed insinuations that the 40-year-old ship might have been in poor shape. An investigation into the incident has been launched.