French father and two children rescued after 16 hours adrift off Thai island

A French family spent more than 16 hours floating at sea after their jet ski capsized off Thailand's Koh Samui island before being rescued, a local official told AFP on Saturday.

The 50-year-old father and his two sons, aged five and seven, were taken to hospital for checks after their overnight ordeal but were discharged shortly afterwards, local government official Amorn Chomchoey said.

"We found them exhausted after swallowing a lot of seawater," he told AFP.

"They were pale, especially the boys."
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The father had rented a jet ski from a local operator on Koh Samui, a popular resort island in the Gulf of Thailand, at around 5pm on Thursday.

The operator became concerned when the family failed to return at the agreed time and alerted local rescuers and provincial authorities, Amorn said.

They were found at around 10am on Friday.
Investigators are looking into why the jet ski capsized after operating just over 15 minutes, Amorn's secretary, who also works as a translator, told AFP.

The father told officials he was an experienced jet ski driver, the secretary said.

But the jet ski operator told local media that the family appeared to have travelled outside the agreed area specified in the rental contract.

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Footage of the rescue shared by the Koh Samui district office 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 and provided the family with water.

The family remained in Thailand and continued their holiday, officials said.

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.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)