Hanoi [Vietnam], December 22: Thai navy officials said there were not enough life jackets for everyone on board the warship that sank on the evening of December 18 in the Gulf of Thailand, killing at least six people.
CNN quoted Royal Thai Navy Commander Admiral Cherngchai Chomcherngpat as saying that 23 people are still missing after the sinking of the corvette HTMS Sukhothai , while 76 people have been rescued.
Speaking at a press conference on December 20, Cherngchai said the ship was carrying 105 people at the time of the sinking, 30 more than usual and there were not enough life jackets for all of them.
The ship was carrying more military personnel than usual to participate in an event commemorating the founder of the Thai navy, the admiral added. "Normally, you have to add life jackets if there are more people," Mr. Cherngchai said.
The crew "knows well that there are not enough life jackets for the 30 additional officers. They tried to use other tools that could save the lives of officers without life jackets," the Thai navy commander said. .
Some people without life jackets tried to climb into inflatable boats to escape. Some boats were fitted on the sunken warship and some were dropped off by rescue helicopters and other ships.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
