Thai navy confirms six sailors dead after ship sinks

Six bodies have been found and one survivor was rescued Tuesday (December 20), after the sinking of a naval vessel two days ago in the Gulf of Thailand, the Thai navy said, Report informs with reference to The Star.

Seventy-six sailors from the HTMS Sukhothai have been hauled from the sea after the vessel went down late Sunday roughly 37km off the country's southeastern coast.

There were 23 personnel still missing, a navy spokesperson said.

Helicopters, two planes, and four ships -- the HTMS Kraburi, HTMS Angthong, HTMS Naresuan and HTMS Bhumibol Adulyadej -- continued searching for survivors on Tuesday.

The bodies of four men were recovered, commander-in-chief of the Royal Thai Navy Choengchai Chomchoengpaet told a press conference in Bangkok.

The navy later revised the toll upwards to six dead.

A helicopter transported the deceased to a naval pier late on Tuesday night, where a fleet of ambulances waited to take them to a local hospital for autopsies.

The Sukhothai was carrying extra personnel as it was joining an anniversary celebration of the navy's founder, said Choengchai, admitting that there were insufficient life jackets onboard.

Admiral Chonlathis Navanugraha called the incident "one of the most severe tragedies" in the navy's history.