Body floating near Koh Tao identified as Myanmar woman

UPDATE

The deceased woman found floating in the sea near Koh Tao in southern Thailand yesterday has been identified as 39 year old Aye Pa Pa Khaing from Myanmar.

A fisherman found Aye Pa Pa Khaing floating among gallon drums about 12 nautical miles northwest of the island yesterday morning. Her body was recovered by the Royal Thai Navy.

Aye Pa Pa Khaing was working on the cargo boat ‘Chit Sin Ship’ with five others when it capsized on the Chumphon – Koh Tao route on Saturday evening.

A nearby boat saved the other five crew members and brought them ashore. All five are safe.

The crew said the boat capsized when it was hit by strong waves.

Aye Pa Pa Khaing was the only crew member to go missing.

ORIGINAL STORY: Woman’s body found floating in waters of Koh Tao, Thailand

A boat driver found a woman’s body floating in the waters of Koh Tao island in Surat Thani province in southern Thailand, the Thai Maritime Enforcement Centre (MECC) reported this morning.

The woman was discovered floating among 20 200-litre oil barrels around 12 nautical miles northwest of Koh Tao island in the Koh Pha Ngan district.

Speedboat operators from Koh Tao recovered her body and handed it over to officers from Koh Tao Police Station at Wat Koh Charoen Santithum Temple.

Police need the public’s help in identifying the woman, who is estimated to be 25-30 years old, plump, and about 160 centimetres tall.

The deceased has the word “follow” tattooed above some kind of feather or leaf on her left leg, a pattern tattooed around her left ankle and was wearing a gold ankle bracelet.

Police hope that her relatives will see the photo of her tattoos which will lead to her identification.

She was wearing a maroon floral t-shirt and brown shorts, said police.

Police believe the woman was aboard a cargo ship, named Chit Sin Ship, which capsized on its way to Koh Tao from Chumphon on Saturday.

The boat left Chumphon at 6pm and was scheduled to arrive in Koh Tao at 10pm but sank somewhere along the way.

Captain Nattaphol Sinpoolpol, deputy director of the MECC, said that no one officially reported the incident.

He said that the cargo ship was registered as having two people on board. However, a source told the captain that there were four people on board when the boat left Koh Tao.

Captain Nattaphol said they are still investigating whether the woman’s body, who was found floating among oil barrels, was a member of the crew or not.

It’s not clear whether there were any survivors.