SURAT THANI: The bodies of the last two people missing after a vehicle ferry sank during a storm off Koh Samui on Aug 1 were found on Monday.
The Raja 4, operated by Raja Ferry Plc, sank between Koh 4 and Koh 5 islands, about 2 nautical miles from Koh Samui. On board the ferry were 16 people and three 10-wheel lorries loaded with compressed garbage and electronic waste, and a pickup truck.
Eleven people were rescued safely, three others were later confirmed drowned and two were still missing.
The bodies of the missing two men - Chaichan Laosap, 47, a truck driver, and Tiwakorn Vacharit, 18, a crewman - were found on Monday by divers from MS Service Co, which was hired by Raja Ferry Plc to search for the missing victims and salvage the ferry.
The divers found the bodies trapped between the lorries, which were still fixed to the ferry. They could not bring them up due to the strong ocean current.
They planned to try again on Tuesday morning.
The divers said the three lorries and their cargoes were still on the ferry. The compressed garbage had not been broken up or swept away.
A plan will be drawn up to retrieve the garbage without polluting the sea.