Bangkok: 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.
According to BBC, a 50-year-old father and his young sons were left "pale" and "exhausted after swallowing a lot of seawater" before being rescued, a local government official, Amorn Chomchoey, reported to AFP. All three were taken to the hospital for checks but were discharged shortly afterwards, Chomchoey added.
The incident occurred when the father rented the jet ski for a 45-minute ride on Koh Samui, one of Thailand's most popular islands for tourists, around 17:00 local time (10:00 GMT) on Thursday. Rescuers were alerted after the jet ski was not returned at the agreed time.
According to the Bangkok Post, people used speedboats and more jet skis to search the waters surrounding Koh Samui and towards the nearby island of Koh Phangan for the family. However, search efforts had to be suspended overnight before the family was found still drifting at sea the following day, Thai media reported.
The father and sons were found by rescuers around 10:00 local time on Friday, AFP reported. 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, according to the Bangkok Post.
Footage of the rescue showed one of the boys sitting on top of the front of the jet ski while the rest of the vehicle was submerged beneath choppy waves. His father could be seen waving at rescuers as he floated nearby, both wearing life jackets.
Nation Thailand, an English-language news site, reported that the boys' mother and older sister had been waiting on the beach when the trio was brought back to safety. The family has remained in Thailand and continued their holiday, officials told AFP.