A father and his two sons were rescued in Thailand after spending more than 16 hours at sea
Off the coast of the Thai island of Koh Samui, rescuers found a French father and his two sons, ages five and seven, who had been adrift at sea for more than 16 hours after the jet ski they had rented capsized. All three were taken to a hospital for examination and were discharged shortly thereafter, according to BBC News World.
According to local official Amorn Chomchoey, the 50-year-old man and his children were pale and exhausted after swallowing a lot of seawater. The father rented the jet ski on Koh Samui around 5:00 p.m. on Thursday for a 45-minute ride.
Alarm was raised when the jet ski was not returned at the agreed-upon time. The search was conducted using speedboats and other jet skis in the waters around Koh Samui and toward the neighboring island of Koh Phangan. The search operation had to be suspended overnight.
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Rescuers found the father and his sons around 10:00 a.m. on Friday. The man told authorities that toward the end of the rental period, the jet ski was caught in strong waves, after which its engine stalled. Footage of the rescue shows one of the boys on the front of the jet ski, most of which was submerged, while the father clung to it wearing a life jacket.
According to Nation Thailand, the boys’ mother and their older sister were waiting for them on the beach. According to AFP, the family remained in Thailand and continued their vacation.
