Cargo Tugboat Capsizes in Storm Near Tao Lae Island, Crew Adrift for Two Days—One Missing, Two Injured
A cargo tugboat capsized near Tao Lae Island in Prachuap Khiri Khan during a storm on May 11, leaving one crew member missing and two others hospitalized after two days adrift.
A 60-ton gross cargo tugboat belonging to Pairat Rungroj Company capsized in the sea near Tao Lae Island in Prachuap Khiri Khan province on May 11. The vessel, which had departed from Bang Pakong Port headed for Samui Island in Surat Thani province, was carrying three crew members. After being rescued this morning around 8 AM by a local fisherman nicknamed "Tai Keem," two crew members—18-year-old Wu from Nakhon Sawan and 15-year-old Wa from Buriram—were hospitalized in exhausted condition after spending two days and nights adrift. The third crew member, 18-year-old Phu from Samut Prakan, remains missing at sea. According to survivors' accounts, the vessel encountered severe rain squalls and strong gusts starting around 2 PM on May 11 near Tao Lae Island. Water leaked into the engine room, and despite the captain's attempts to navigate away from the waves toward the island's headland, the vessel could not withstand the powerful waves and wind, ultimately capsizing. Rescue authorities are currently conducting coordinated search efforts with local fishing vessels and marine police to locate the missing crew member.
