Brit missing after packed boat sinks in sea off Thailand while on dive trip

23 December 2023 , 16:23

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Millie Young is still missing with search operations called off for the night (Image: Asia Pacific Press via ViralPress)

A frantic search is taking place for a British woman who has gone missing after the pleasure boat she was on sank during rough seas – with time running out, night drawing in and authorities having halted rescue operations.

The unlucky tourist was on a trip of a lifetime with her friends when the vessel she was on was battered by massive waves this morning – which resulted it taking on water then sinking. While most of the passengers and crew made it to safety, the woman and a Thai female crew member were caught in the massive waves and disappeared.

Millie Young, 57, was on a dream trip with family friends, visiting the idyllic Surin Islands archipelago in southern Thailand, when the diving boat, Reggae Queen, got into trouble around four nautical miles from the enclave of tropical islands.

The other shocked holidaymakers, that it has been reported included four other Brits, managed to scramble to safety, but Millie, an artist from Brighton, is understood to have been dragged into the choppy sea along with one member of the crew, a Thai woman. Her shaken friends, parents Jo and Phillip Degregorio and their two children Oska and Daisy, were among those rescued when they were pulled aboard a passing fishing trawler.

The Thai navy along with helicopters and the coastguard are now searching the missing pair, with the Thai national being a part of the tour company. An official from the Phang Nga Provincial Port Security Control Center said: "A notification was received at approximately 9am saying that the ship was sinking four miles south of the Surin Islands.

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"The boat was taking tourists on a snorkeling and diving trip. Immediate assistance was provided and 12 tourists were rescued by a passing fishing boat. At present, two people are still missing. They are one foreigner and one Thai. One navy vessel and rescue teams are searching the area."

A passing fishing trawler rescued 12 tourists including a British family (Asia Pacific Press via ViralPress)

Officials said a Mayday call was made shortly before 9am. The red, yellow and green boat – painted in the colours of the Rastafari flag – sank shortly after. Supoj Rodruang Na Nongkhai, the governor of Phang Nga province, said he had instructed all boats in the area to search for the two missing people in the Andaman Sea region.

He said that rescue teams were searching in the direction of the sea currents, which are believed to have carried the missing pair in a north-west direction. The governor added: "A helicopter will join the search. There is also a navy ship and national park staff in lifeboats searching the area along with other search personnel. The missing person is a British woman and a Thai member of the crew. We are putting all of our resources into finding them."

The Thai Meteorological Department reported that there would be thunderstorms and heavy rain across the south-west coast of Thailand. Conditions at sea during November and December in the south of Thailand are typically the most dangerous of the year, with strong currents, powerful waves and heavy rain.

The tourist were well taken care of by Thai emergency services (Asia Pacific Press via ViralPress)

The navy chief in charge of the search said today she had still not been found and the rescue operation has now called off until tomorrow. Rear Admiral Pongmit Narongkul, Chief of Staff of the 3rd Naval Region, said search teams had focused on the area where they believe sea currents would have taken Millie and the Thai crew member. He said: "Two people are still lost. Air crews have flown over the area where we believe the sea currents would have taken the people. The ship has also has still not been found."

The Thai islands have become popular destinations for diving and snorkeling trips because of the clear water and diverse marine life. However, safety on the aging and unregulated vessels is often below standard. Just a day earlier, dozens of passengers were rescued from a sinking ship that was traveling to the notorious Thai death island Koh Tao.

Officials said 92 tourists were aboard the Sandee Maneesap 111 night boat travelling from Surat Thani province to Koh Tao island when the vessel began taking on water due to a broken pump at dawn on the Friday morning of December 22.

Paul Donald