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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
World
Daniel Keane

British woman missing after scuba diving tour boat capsizes off coast of Thailand

The Foreign Office is supporting the family of a British woman who went missing after a tour boat sank off the coast of Thailand.

Millie Young, 57, was among a group of tourists who were on board the Reggae Queen when it foundered in heavy seas on Saturday near Ko Torinlina island, in the Andaman Sea.

Local media reported that 16 of the 18 passengers on board had been rescued after the boat sank at around 9am local time.

A female Thai crew member also remains missing.

The trip had been organised by the Sawan Tour company, according to local news website Khaosod.

Officials believe that the pair may have been swept up to 111km away by strong currents.

A Foreign Office spokesperson told Sky News: “We are supporting the family of a British woman and are in contact with the local authorities after an incident in Thailand.”

The Thai navy is leading a search of the area using helicopters and inflatable boats.

Rear Admiral Pongmit Narongkul, the navy chief leading the search, told The Telegraph: “The wind in the area is quite strong, which is an obstacle to the search.

“There are cargo and fishing ships in the area and they have been instructed to continue searching at night, until the missing people are found.”

Ko Torinlina is part of the Surin Islands, which lie 60km west of the Andaman Coast. It is considered one of the world’s prime locations for snorkelling and diving.

However, the area regularly experiences perilous conditions at sea in December, including strong currents and heavy rain.

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