BANGKOK: A French father and his two sons, aged 12 and nine, were rescued from the sea off Koh Samui on Friday (Aug 14) after spending the night offshore when their rented jet ski failed to return to Chaweng Beach.
Brahim Terki, 50, and his sons were found exhausted but wearing life jackets after search teams resumed operations in the morning.
The nine-year-old was sitting on the jet ski, while his father was holding on to its side and the 12-year-old was floating nearby.
Rescuers brought all three aboard a speedboat and returned them to shore, where a medical team was waiting. They were subsequently taken to hospital for further examination.
Their mother and older sister, who had been waiting on the beach, were there when the three were brought back safely.
The family had rented the jet ski from an operator at Chaweng Beach in Koh Samui district, Surat Thani, at about 5pm on Thursday (Aug 13).
When their 30-minute rental period expired, staff signalled with a flag for them to return to shore, but the jet ski did not come back.
The operator initially sent jet skis out to search before authorities and members of the Koh Samui Jet Ski Club joined the operation with speedboats and additional jet skis.
Search teams continued into the night but had not located the family by after midnight, when the operation was suspended.
The search resumed on Friday morning and the three tourists were subsequently found at sea.
Koh Samui district chief Amorn Chumchuay said the precise cause had not yet been established.
Authorities initially considered the possibility that the jet ski had suffered an engine problem, leaving it to drift farther from shore with the waves and current.
Officials will question the tourists further before determining what happened.
Amorn instructed the Koh Samui Marine Office to tighten oversight of jet-ski businesses, including checks on operating licences and safety measures.
He also urged operators to avoid renting jet skis to tourists close to nightfall and to make clear the areas in which customers may ride, so they remain visible from shore and can be reached quickly in an emergency.
The district chief also asked marine authorities to discuss fitting tracking devices to rental jet skis so operators and rescuers can identify their location if problems arise.
Authorities have recently stepped up wider safety oversight of tourism operators on popular islands, including Koh Samui. - The Nation/ANN
