Family stranded at sea for 16 hours after jet ski capsized in Thailand

A French family was left stranded at sea for more than 16 hours overnight after their rented jet ski capsized off the coast of Thailand.

A 50-year-old father and his young sons were left “pale” and “exhausted after swallowing a lot of seawater” before being rescued, local government official Amorn Chomchoey told AFP.

All three were taken to hospital for checks but were discharged shortly afterwards, Chomchoey said.

The father had rented the jet ski for a 45-minute ride on Koh Samui, one of Thailand’s most popular islands for tourists, at around 17:00 local time (10:00 GMT) on Thursday, the Bangkok Post reports.

Rescuers were alerted after the jet ski was not returned at the agreed time.

People used speedboats and more jet skis to comb the waters surrounding Koh Samui and towards the nearby island of Koh Phangan searching for the family, the Bangkok Post reports.

Search efforts had to be suspended overnight before the family were found still drifting at sea the following day, Thai media report.

The father and sons were found by rescuers at around 10:00 local time on Friday, according to AFP.

The father told authorities that rough waves had struck the jet ski and caused the engine to stop towards the end of the rental period, the Bangkok Post reports.

Footage of the rescue shows one of the boys sat on the top of the front of the jet ski while the rest of the vehicle is submerged beneath choppy waves.

His father can be seen waving at rescuers as he floats nearby. Both of them are wearing life jackets.

English-language news site Nation Thailand reports that the boys’ mother and older sister had been waiting on the beach when the trio were brought back to safety.

The family has remained in Thailand and continued their holiday, officials told AFP.