Millie Young was swept away in rough seas after a tourist diving boat sank in Thailand (Picture: ViralPress)
A woman from Brighton has gone missing after a diving boat sank off the coast of an idyllic island in Thailand.
Millie Young was on a dream trip with her family friends visiting the Surin Islands archipelago in southern Thailand when the shocking incident happened on Saturday morning.
The 57-year-old was one of 18 people on board when the Reggae Queen ship was caught in rough seas around four nautical miles from the enclave of tropical islands popular for snorkelling and diving trips.
As huge waves battered the boat, it took on water and started to submerge shortly before 9am local time.
Other tourists frantically tried to scramble to safety onto a passing fishing trawler but Millie, an artist, was dragged into the choppy seas along with one member of the crew, a Thai woman.
Her shaken friends, parents Jo and Phillip Degregorio and their two children Oska and Daisy, were among those rescued when they were pulled aboard a passing fishing trawler.
They were pictured in a passing vessel along with 12 other rescued tourists and four of the crew as they were safely returned to the shore.
Millie, 57, was on a dream trip with family friends in southern Thailand (Picture: ViralPress)
A passing fishing trawler pulled 12 of the 14 people on the diving boat to safety (Picture: ViralPress)
The Thai navy along with helicopters and the coast guard launched a search for Millie and the other missing woman, who was part of the tour company.
But as the night drew in, the navy chief said neither of them had been found and the rescue operation was called off until Sunday.
Rear admiral Pongmit Narongkul, chief of staff of the 3rd Naval Region, said search teams had focused on the area where they believe sea currents would have taken the pair after they vanished.
‘Two people are still lost,’ he said.
Millie was visiting the Surin Islands archipelago when the incident happened (Picture: ViralPress)
The Reggae Queen boat sank after taking on water (Picture: ViralPress)
‘Air crews have flow over the area where we believe the sea currents would have taken the people. The ship has also still not been found.
‘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.’
An official from the Phang Nga Provincial Port Security Control Center previously said: ‘A notification was received at approximately 9am saying that the ship was sinking four miles south of the Surin Islands.
‘The boat was taking tourists on a snorkeling and diving trip. Immediate assistance was provided and 12 tourists were rescued by a passing fishing boat.
‘At present, two people are still missing. They are one foreigner and one Thai. One navy vessel and rescue teams are searching the area.’
Rescue teams are searching for Millie Young, pictured right, and one member of crew who is also missing (Picture: ViralPress)
Thai officials say search teams have focused on the direction sea currents would have taken the missing women (Picture: ViralPress)
Officials said a mayday call was made and the red, yellow and green boat – painted in the colours of the Rastafari flag – sank shortly after.
Supoj Rodruang Na Nongkhai, the governor of Phang Nga province, said he had instructed all boats in the area to look out for the two missing people in the Andaman Sea region.
He said that rescued teams were searching in the direction of the sea currents, which are believed to have carried the missing pair in a northwest direction.
The governor added: ‘A helicopter will join the search. There is also a navy ship and national park staff in lifeboats searching the area along with other search personnel.
‘We are putting all of our resources into finding them.’
The Degregorio family from Brighton, dad Phil, mum Jo, children Daisy and Oska, pictured after being rescued (Picture: ViralPress)
Millie is an artist from Brighton (Picture: ViralPress)
The Thai Meteorological Department reported that there would be thunderstorms and heavy rain on the south west coast of Thailand.
Conditions at sea during November and December in the south of Thailand are typically the most dangerous of the year, with strong currents, powerful waves and heavy rain.
Thai islands have become popular destinations for diving and snorkelling trips because of the clear water and diverse marine life. However, safety on the ageing and unregulated vessels is often below standard.
Just a day earlier, dozens of passengers were rescued from a sinking ship that was travelling to notorious Thai death island Koh Tao.
Officials said 92 tourists were aboard the Sandee Maneesap 111 night boat travelling from Surat Thani province to Koh Tao island when the vessel began taking on water due to a broken pump at dawn on Friday morning, December 22.
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