Thai navy confirms 5 sailors dead after ship sinks in storm

Bloomberg

The Royal Thai Navy said that at least five sailors have been confirmed dead after a ship sank off the coast of southern Thailand during a storm.
There were 105 sailors on board the HTMS Sukhothai, a corvette which went down 37 kilometers (20 nautical miles) offshore the province of Prachuap Khiri Khan, according to a navy tweet and government statement. Seventy-five people were rescued, according to the navy.
Navy Commander Admiral Choengchai Chomchoengpaet told a press briefing that two more people were found alive, while four bodies had been recovered. “I’d like to apologise to families of the deceased,” he said. The military later said one of those rescued had died.
The victims were found about 60 km from the sunken vessel, according to the navy, which said that 24 people were still missing in a tweet at 6:38 pm local time.
The incident come amid strong waves, which caused seawater to seep into the ship’s electrical system via an exhaust pipe, according to a Facebook post by the navy. The overflow later caused engine malfunction and listed the ship.
The vessel is 36 years old, still within the navy’s 40-year standard for vessel use, Choengchai said.
The sunken ship was equipped with life vests and
six life rafts, which are programmed to automatically
release and can carry 15 people each, he said. The waters around the sunken ship are about 40 metres in depth.
A legal investigation into the incident and loss of personnel and equipment will be conducted, the admiral said.