British woman missing after ‘tour boat capsizes’ in Thailand | UK News

The UK Foreign Office is supporting the family of a British woman who went missing after a tour boat sank off the coast of Thailand. 

Millie Young, 57, and a female Thai crew member may have been swept up to 111km away from the scuba diving ship in the treacherous Andaman Sea, according to a local news outlet.  

The UK Foreign Office said today that it was supporting a British national’s family after ‘an incident in Thailand’. 

Millie, an artist from Brighton, was on a dream trip with her family and friends visiting the Surin Islands archipelago in the south of the country when the incident happened on Saturday morning. 

She 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. 

Sixteen of the passengers were rescued after the boat was hit with strong waves shortly before 9am local time.  

In a statement to Sky News, a Foreign Office spokesperson said: ‘We are supporting the family of a British woman and are in contact with the local authorities after an incident in Thailand.’

The Thai navy along with helicopters and the coastguard launched a search for Millie and the other missing woman, who was part of the tour company. 

They might have been swept up to 111km from the Reggae Queen by strong currents, according to local news website Khaosod.  

Rear Admiral Pongmit Narongkul, the navy chief leading the effort, told The Telegraph: ‘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.’ 

The idyllic Surin Islands are located 60km west of the Andaman Coast and are considered one of the country’s prime locations for snorkelling, diving and sea tours. 

However conditions in November and December are typically the most dangerous of the year, with strong currents, powerful waves and heavy rain. 

MORE : British tourist missing after diving boat sinks while on dream holiday

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