TRANG — Four members of a Spanish family were rescued after their yacht struck a rock and sank off Koh Libong during a fierce storm on Saturday morning.
The yacht, carrying a Spanish couple and their two children, was travelling from the Malaysian island of Langkawi to Phuket when it struck a rock during the storm in the waters off Trang, said Abdulroheem Khunraksa, the kamnan of tambon Koh Libong.
The local leader immediately alerted Kantang marine police and mobilised local residents, and all four tourists were rescued safely. More than 100 local residents and resort staff took part in bringing the damaged vessel to shore.
The Meteorological Department on Saturday warned all vessels along the Andaman Sea and the upper Gulf of Thailand to proceed with caution and small boats to keep ashore from May 21-27 as strong winds are expected to produce waves 2-4 metres high.
The department said the southwest wind prevailing over the Andaman would bring more rain. It is also forecasting isolated to heavy rain in the North, Northeast, Central, East and the upper South regions between May 21 and 27.
It said tropical cyclone Roanu over the upper of the Bay of Bengal was expected to move toward the eastern portion of the Indian peninsula and make landfall between Bangladesh and Myanmar over the weekend. This in turn would cause stormy conditions and high waves in the Andaman Sea.