Family stranded at sea for 16 hours after jet ski capsized in Thailand
A father and his two young sons spent a night adrift before being rescued off the coast of the island of Koh Samui.
A French family endured a harrowing 16-hour ordeal at sea after their rented jet ski overturned off the coast of Thailand.
The 50-year-old father and his young sons were described as "pale" and "exhausted after swallowing a lot of seawater" when they were finally rescued, according to local government official Amorn Chomchoey, who spoke to AFP. All three were transported to a hospital for examination but were released a short time later, Chomchoey confirmed.
The father had rented the jet ski for a 45-minute excursion on Koh Samui, a well-known Thai tourist island, around 5:00 PM local time (10:00 GMT) on Thursday, as reported by the Bangkok Post. Rescuers were notified when the jet ski was not returned as scheduled.
Speedboats and additional jet skis were deployed to search the waters around Koh Samui and in the direction of the neighboring island of Koh Phangan for the missing family, the Bangkok Post stated. Search operations were halted overnight before the family was discovered still adrift at sea the following day, according to Thai media.
Rescuers located the father and sons at approximately 10:00 AM local time on Friday, AFP reported. The father informed authorities that strong waves had hit the jet ski, causing the engine to fail near the end of their rental period, the Bangkok Post detailed.
Footage of the rescue shows one of the boys perched on the front of the jet ski, with the rest of the craft submerged in the turbulent waves. His father is visible nearby, floating and waving to the rescuers. Both were wearing life jackets.
The English-language news site Nation Thailand reported that the boys' mother and older sister were waiting on the beach when the trio was brought back to safety. Officials told AFP that the family has since continued their holiday in Thailand.