American man goes missing from luxury yacht off Phuket coast
CCTV footage shows final moments before disappearance in dark sea
An American man went missing yesterday, June 8, during a private yacht trip with four other family members in Phuket sea.
The personal secretary of the missing American, 30 year old Kanokkorn, filed a report with Thalang Police Station yesterday stating that 28 year old American businessman Dane Johnson Endler had disappeared from his family yacht, De Mareft.
Endler had planned to spend time with his family on the luxury yacht from June 5 to 11. Six crew members were also on board. The vessel was anchored approximately one kilometre from Cape Yamu in Phuket’s Thalang district when Endler went missing.
His disappearance was discovered yesterday morning when a crew member attempted to wake him for breakfast. He was absent from his bedroom, where only an empty bottle of alcohol was found.
The crew and family reviewed CCTV footage and found that Endler had exited his bedroom via a window between 2am and 3am. He was seen walking to the rear of the yacht and sitting in a rubber dinghy.
Endler was later seen jumping into the sea, then climbing back into the dinghy before jumping into the water again. This time, he failed to re-enter the dinghy and subsequently disappeared.
Statements from the captain and officials
The yacht’s captain stated that he normally locked all doors at night to ensure the safety of those on board. The footage confirmed that Endler had left his cabin through the window.
Officers from Thalang Police Station, the Marine Police, the National Maritime Interests Protection Centre Region 3, and local rescue teams are currently searching for the missing American. Authorities also notified the United States Embassy and the Immigration Bureau of Endler’s disappearance.
Thai officials urged the family to remain hopeful as efforts to locate Endler continue.
In a similar case in April, Thai police located 26 year old Welshman Daniel Davies, who had lost contact with his family in March. Davies was found at a hostel in Krabi province, where other guests stated he intentionally cut off communication with his family due to personal reasons.
Another delighted case was reported in August last year when British national Simon Robinson was found safe in Helsinki, Finland, after being reported missing for nearly a month during a trip to Bangkok.
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