Rescue teams believe missing British artist Millie Young may have been trapped in the ship she was on when it capsized off the coast of Thailand last week.
A helicopter and dozens of ships spent days monitoring ocean currents around the Surin Islands where the ship sank but found nothing to help them in their search for Ms Young, who disappeared on December 23.
The ship's 67-year-old cook, Samniang Chaichana, is also believed to have been trapped on board when the ship sank to a depth of 55 meters, while Ms Young enjoyed a dream adventure with friends.
Pichet Songtan, spokesperson for the Thai Maritime Enforcement Command Center (Thai-MECC) Region 3, said: “The rescue committee is working to find the sunken ship as soon as possible. We believe the missing people are trapped inside.”
The Reggae Queen left Thap Lamu Pier on the mainland on the afternoon of December 22 with 13 tourists and five crew members on board.
Songtan explained how the ship had to stop along the way because “the waves were so strong.”
Waves 'over three meters high' crashed against the side of the ship, absorbing too much to be removed by the wastewater pump. The crew woke the passengers and arranged life rafts for evacuation before the ship sank.
On Christmas Day it was reported that an inflatable life raft had been found 20 nautical miles from where the ship sank.
Millie Young, who disappeared on December 23 after the ship she was on sank near Thailand
New: the discovery of the inflatable raft on December 25, two days after the ship sank
The Reggae Queen, which sank in rough waters off the Surin Islands on December 23
Navy chiefs said they will now use sonar to find the wreck of the Reggae Queen, a large ship that took tourists on overnight diving trips around the idyllic tropical islands some 60 kilometers from the mainland in Phang Nga province.
Songtan said a “side-scan sonar” had been requested from the Navy's battle fleet to find the coordinates where the ship sank.
“The ship drifted on the waves for more than three hours until another boat found it and rescued the group around 9 a.m.,” Songtan said, meaning teams believe Ms. Young was not successfully evacuated with her group.
Rescuers later found an empty raft believed to have belonged to the Reggae Queen.
Vice Admiral Pongmit Narongkul, the chief of staff of the Third Naval Region, said: “A Navy patrol aircraft is flying around the area to search for the two victims together with Navy boats.
'An inflatable life raft was placed twenty nautical miles from where the ship sank, but there was no one in it.
“The flight path search area has been extended to the western part of the Surin Islands, with a radius of 15 nautical miles from the forecast point.
“The missing persons have not been found, but the search continues.”
It is understood that Ms Young had been living in Thailand since 2007, splitting her time between the beautiful South East Asian kingdom and the UK.
She had recently met relatives at Bangkok airport before heading off on holiday to the beautiful southern spot, where clear waters and diverse marine life are a big draw for snorkeling and diving trips.
The group booked five seats on the Reggae Queen, which left on December 22.
Officials said a Mayday call was made shortly before 9 a.m. on December 23 as the ship was battered by waves as it approached the Surin Islands in the northwest mainland.
Footage showed the rescue of passengers and crew, but only 16 of the 18 on board are believed to have made it off the boat safely.
Twelve rescued tourists and four crew members were returned safely to shore
Shocked holidaymakers managed to escape to safety, but Ms Young is said to have been dragged into the choppy seas along with Samniang, the chef on board the ship
Rescue operations continue northeast of Thailand as teams desperately search for the missing victims of the tragedy.
Navy Chief Pichet Songtan said: “The rescue committee consists of the 3rd Naval Area Command, Thai-MECC Region 3 and the Surin Islands National Park.
'The mission plan consists of searching on the surface, on the beach and from aircraft, and requesting cooperation from nearby ships.
'The missing persons are probably trapped in the ship. We think they couldn't escape and were pushed down by the water.
'We are still waiting for the correct latitude and longitude to be determined. If so, deep-sea divers are ready to continue the search.”
Supoj Rodruang Na Nongkhai, the governor of Phang Nga province, said he had ordered all boats in the area to look out for the two missing people in the Andaman Sea region.
He said rescue teams were searching in the direction of ocean currents, which are believed to have carried the missing couple in a northwesterly direction.
The governor added: “The missing person is a British woman and a Thai crew member. We are using all our resources to find them.”
Sunee Panpeng, 43, the daughter of the missing cook, said her mother had worked on the voyages for about four years and would have three days at sea before returning to shore.
She added: 'When I was told the ship had sunk I immediately worried about my mother as she cannot swim.
'We can only pray that she is found. Now I'm waiting for a miracle.'