Rescue team ends search for Romanian diver missing off Phuket

A rescue team ended its search for a Romanian diver who went missing at sea off Phuket on January 8. The diver, 46 year old Sebastian Emil Somesan, went missing off the coast of Promthep Cape.

Yesterday, Rawai Mayor Aroon Solos announced that the search was wrapping up. This was after rescuers worked intensely for nine days to find Somesan, searching the sea with navy boats and helicopters.

However, Mayor Aroon said that relevant agencies, including Phuket’s commercial fishing fleet, had been asked to continue to keep watch for any sign of Somesan or his body.

Officials closed up the command centre that had coordinated the search, by holding a lunch under the theme ‘Together We Share.’ This was to express gratitude toward the search team, The Phuket News reported. Phuket’s vice governor was present at the lunch.

Somesan was an expat who lived in Phuket with his wife and daughter.

When he went missing, Somesan had been on a diving trip with two friends. These included 47 year old Romanian national Alexandru Florin Miron, and an unnamed Thai woman.

The three left Nai Harn Beach on “Shawnika” the speedboat, owned by Somesan, and headed toward Koh Kaew Nok island.

As the trio attempted to anchor the boat to go diving, they encountered a problem and the anchor got stuck, said Miron. Somesan dived under the boat to assess the problem but did not resurface again, he said.

Rescuers first searched around Koh Kaeo Noi. But when they didn’t find Somesan there, the team expanded to Phuket’s southwest coast, and then to areas immediately south of Nai Harn.

The rescue team included officers from Rawai Municipality, Marine Police, Tourist Police, Chalong Police, and Tourist Assistance Center. It also included Kusoldharm Foundation rescuers, disaster officials and personnel from the Royal Thai Navy Third Area Command. Local foreign divers also joined the search.