Three dead, four missing and 15 rescued in Chonburi boat sinking

Three crew members have been reported dead and four remain missing after the fishing boat S. Kanchanawari 888 sank off Chonburi, with 15 others rescued, according to an update on Tuesday (September 22, 2026). The Royal Thai Navy and local fishing boats are continuing the search.

Prasert Pitakkorn, mayor of Samae San and president of the Chong Samae San Fisheries Association, said the association was alerted at about 5am on Tuesday. Initial information indicated that the vessel had sunk at around 10pm on Monday (September 21).

Nearby fishing boats rescued 15 of the 22 people on board. The crew comprised two Thai nationals and 20 Myanmar nationals.

Survivors being brought back to Samae San

The 15 survivors were being taken back to Chong Samae San in Sattahip district, Chonburi, and were expected to arrive at around 3pm on Tuesday.

Only one of the three bodies had been recovered from the vessel at the time of the update. The deceased was identified as Wichan Ma-iang, 46. His body was also being brought ashore, while strong winds and rough seas had prevented the recovery of the other two bodies.

Navy deploys patrol boat, helicopter and divers

The First Naval Area Command deployed patrol boat Tor 112, a Type 1 anti-submarine helicopter and naval divers to support the search, coordinating with fishing boats operating nearby.

Thanathan Pramunpong, the member of parliament for Chonburi’s constituency 10 in Sattahip, was also closely monitoring the situation and rescue operation.

The incident location was reported at latitude 11°56.93′N and longitude 100°50.30′E, approximately 40 nautical miles from the summit of Khao Laem Pu Chao.

The search for the four missing crew members was continuing, while the cause of the sinking remained under investigation.