Following stormy seas, rescuers find fisherman’s body near Koh Samui

Following the stormy seas that wreaked havoc on many coastal areas of Thailand this past weekend, rescuers found the body of a fisherman near Koh Samui.

According to the Samui Public Relations Department, several local fishing boats capsized on Sunday. One fisherman reported missing was 51 year old Wiroj Srifah. Wiroj had been fishing alone.

Marine Police, tour boat operators, and local fishing boats launched a search for Wiroj. The Phuket Express reported early this morning that on Monday, the rescuers located Wiroj’s sunken boat underwater, with his body inside.

Meanwhile, another four people had been rescued so far.

Many southern parts of Thailand have been impacted by the heavy storms that occurred on Sunday.

In another incident on Sunday, a ferry sank en route between Koh Samui and mainland Surat Thani. The ferry sank at Don Sak pier after passengers and vehicles had left the vessel. No one was injured, according to the Interior Ministry. The ministry’s permanent secretary Sutthipong Julcharoen revealed that the R10 ferry of Raja Ferry Co sank at a pier in mainland Don Sak district at about 10am.

In the province of Nakhon Si Thammarat, a mini-tornado briefly formed during the peak of the storm, with strong winds generating large waves along the coastlines of Pak Phanang, Muang, and Tha Sala districts.

Interior Ministry Permanent Secretary Suttipong Juljarern provided an update on the status of the search earlier this week. He said…

“In Pak Phanang district, fishing boats left the coast with 51 crew on board, 42 of whom have been located and brought to shore. One individual was found deceased, while two others remain in critical condition in the hospital.

“In Tha Sala district, officials successfully located and assisted four out of the five missing trawlers, although the exact number of missing crew members remains uncertain.