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 of three - a 50-year-old father and his two young sons - found themselves adrift at sea for an unprecedented 16 hours after their rented jet ski capsized off the coast of Thailand. The harrowing ordeal unfolded on Koh Samui, one of Thailand's most popular tourist destinations, when the jet ski was rented for a brief 45-minute excursion on Thursday evening at around 17:00 local time.
As the day wore on and the jet ski did not return as scheduled, rescue efforts were triggered. Speedboats and additional jet skis combed the surrounding waters and ventured towards the nearby island of Koh Phangan in a desperate search. Unfortunately, the search had to be called off overnight, only for the family to be spotted the following day at around 10:00 local time on Friday.
The father recounted to authorities that turbulent waves had caused the jet ski to capsize towards the end of the rental period, causing him and his sons to swallow a significant amount of seawater. Rescuers found the trio, still drifting, with the father floating nearby and waving at the rescuers while one of the sons sat atop the jet ski's front, still surrounded by the choppy waves.
The family, which included the father's wife and older daughter waiting on the beach, were taken to local hospitals for medical checks and subsequently discharged. The family has chosen to remain in Thailand and continue their vacation, according to local officials.
Written by urgent.news from BBC World's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
