Chilling last pic of missing Brit holidaymaker Millie Young as empty life raft found after dive boat sunk off Thailand

10 months ago 6

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MILLIE Young shared a happy picture from her travels in Thailand before the boat she was on sank and she was presumably swept out to sea.

The rescue search continues for missing Brit Millie, 57, but fears are growing as teams have recovered an empty life raft floating miles from the shore.

Millie Young was travelling in southern Thailand when she went missing on Saturday[/caption]

The Reggae Queen ship was hit by huge waves and sank on Saturday morning[/caption]

Twelve rescued tourists, including Millie’s friends, speak to Thai officials[/caption]

The missing Brit, from Brighton, was on a dream trip with pals visiting the idyllic Surin Islands in southern Thailand when she vanished two days before Christmas.

Millie and her friends booked five spots on diving ship the Reggae Queen before it was pummelled with huge waves and took on so much water it sank.

Most of the rattled tourists were pulled to safety by a passing fishing boat but Millie is thought to have been swept further out to sea alongside a Thai woman who worked on the ship.

And on Christmas Day, rescue teams dragged an empty life raft from the water after a three-day search.

The inflatable raft was recovered over 20 miles away from where the ship sank.

Just before the tragic capsizing on Saturday, Millie shared a series of photos enjoying her holiday on the tropical islands.

In the most recent post she shared a snap of her in a salon with friends and one of a kayak that read: “new toes n a kayak adventure”.

Millie had been travelling between Thailand and the UK for years and had shared countless beautiful photos of the idyllic views.

She was travelling with British friends Jo and Phillip Degregorio and their kids Oksa and Daisy when tragedy struck near the Surin Islands archipelago.

The diving boat’s cook Samniang Chaichana, 67, remains missing.

The pair may have been tragically swept as far as 60 miles away from the site of the capsizing.

Navy bosses said on Monday that a dozen rescue boats and a helicopter have been scouring the area up to 35 miles from the mainland.

They were not able to find the boat wreckage nor any sign of the two missing women.

Senior naval officer Rear Admiral Pongmit Narongkul said: “A navy patrol plane has been flying across the area to search for the two victims along with navy boats.

“An inflatable life raft was found 20 nautical miles from where the ship sank but there was nobody inside.

“The flight path search area has been expanded to the western area of the Surin Islands, with a radius of 15 nautical miles from the forecast point.

“The missing people have not been found but the search is continuing.”

Millie, an artist and university lecturer, was travelling with British family friends and their two teenage kids when she disappeared.

Twelve tourists were successfully rescued after the Reggae Queen ship was lost.

They later spoke with Thai officials, including Millie’s friends who were pulled to safety by a passing fishing boat.

Supoj Rodruang Na Nongkhai, the governor of Phang Nga province, said: “The missing person is a British woman and a Thai member of the crew.

“We are putting all of our resources into finding them.

“All fishing boats and tourist boats in the area have been instructed to look for the tourists while they are at sea.”

The Thai Meteorological Department reported that there would be thunderstorms and heavy rain the southwest 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 snorkeling 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 traveling to notorious Thai death island Koh Tao.

Official 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.

An official from the Phang Nga Provincial Port Security Control Center 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 snorkelling 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.”

A spokesman for the Foreign Office said: “We are in contact with the local authorities after an incident in Thailand.”