A French family was left stranded at sea for more than 16 hours after their rented jet ski capsized off the coast of Koh Samui, Thailand. This was reported by infohub.kz.
According to local government official Amorn Chomchoey, the 50-year-old father and his young sons were "pale" and "exhausted after swallowing a lot of seawater" before being rescued. All three were taken to hospital for checks but were discharged shortly afterwards.
The Bangkok Post reports that the father had rented the jet ski for a 45-minute ride on Koh Samui, one of Thailand's most popular tourist islands, at around 17:00 local time (10:00 GMT) on Thursday. Rescuers were alerted after the jet ski was not returned at the agreed time.
Speedboats and more jet skis were used to comb the waters surrounding Koh Samui and towards the nearby island of Koh Phangan. Thai media report that search efforts had to be suspended overnight before the family were found still drifting at sea the following day.
According to AFP, the father and sons were found by rescuers at around 10:00 local time on Friday. The Bangkok Post reports that 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.
Footage of the rescue shows one of the boys sitting on the top of the front of the jet ski while the rest of the vehicle submerged beneath choppy waves. The father can be seen waving at rescuers as he floats nearby. Both are wearing life jackets. English-language news site Nation Thailand reports that the boys' mother and older sister had been waiting on the beach when the trio were brought back to safety.
Officials told AFP that the family has remained in Thailand and continued their holiday.