Two feared lost after Thai liveaboard sinks in the Andaman Sea
Millie Young, 57, an artist from Brighton, and a female Thai crew member are missing after the Reggae Queen liveaboard sank in a storm in the Andaman Sea two days before Christmas.
Sixteen people have been rescued, and the search continues for the two still missing. An empty life raft has been found, and rescuers are now concentrating the search on the wreck of the liveaboard believed to be at 60m. It is feared both the crew member, a cook, and Millie were trapped aboard the Reggae Queen as she sank.
Millie, who has been living in Thailand, is reported to be part of a group of five friends booked on the liveaboard trip to the Surin Islands, one of the prime diving spots in the Andaman Sea.
The Reggae Queen left port on 22 December and quickly hit bad weather with swells of more than three metres pummelling the small liveaboard. It is reported that the decision was made to abandon ship, but it is not clear that either Millie or the cook managed to get onto one of the liferafts.
Most of the guests were rescued by a passing fishing boat.
Local officials said there were a total of 13 guests and five crew aboard the Reggae Queen, also known as the Sawan, which was heading for the Torinia Islands, part of the Surin Islands National Park, which is 50km off the west coast of southern Thailand. The guests also included a British couple and their two children.
