Father and 2 young sons on capsized jet ski rescued after 16 hours stranded off Thai island

A French family was rescued after their jet ski capsized off the coast of Thailand’s Koh Samui, leaving them stranded for over 16 hours. 

The father, 50, and his two sons, 5 and 7, rented the jet ski from a local operator on Koh Samui, a Thai resort island, around 5 p.m. local time Thursday. After the family failed to return at the set time, the operator informed local rescuers and authorities, local government official Amorn Chomchoey told AFP. 

The report spurred a frantic search for the three. The Bangkok Post reported that searchers used speedboats and more jet skis to comb the waters. Search efforts were suspended overnight, then resumed in the morning. The family was found around 10 a.m. local time on Friday. 

Footage of the rescue shared by the Koh Samui district office and the BBC showed the jet ski almost completely capsized, with only its triangular front section visible above the water. One of the boys was sitting on top of the jet ski while his father floated nearby, both of them wearing life jackets. 

One rescuer can be heard shouting, “Calm down” and “They survived,” and later helped the boy onto another boat. Video shows rescuers providing the family with water. 

Chomchoey said the father and sons were “pale” and “exhausted after swallowing a lot of seawater,” but otherwise well, according to CBS News partner BBC. The three family members were taken to an area hospital for checks and discharged shortly afterward, Chomchoey said.

The BBC reported that the boys’ mother and older sister had been waiting on the beach. The reunited family is continuing its holiday, the BBC reported. 

Investigators are looking into why the jet ski capsized after operating for just 15 minutes. The father said rough waves had struck the jet ski, causing its engine to stop, the Bangkok Post reported. The BBC reported that the father described himself as an experienced jet ski driver.

The jet ski operator told other local media that the family appeared to have traveled outside the area specified by the rental agreement for the jet ski. 

Koh Samui is one of Thailand’s most popular islands for families, thanks to its calm seas and wide range of resorts, attracting millions of visitors each year.