173 stranded travelers rescued from eastern Thai island

BANGKOK, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Some 173 travelers were rescued to the shore from a storm-ravaged island in eastern Thailand by a navy patrol boat, Thai media reported on Friday.

Some 112 Thai nationals and 61 foreign tourists were rescued on Thursday during the operation, according to Dailynews.

Those visitors to Mark island off Trat province, about 320 km southeast of Bangkok, had been stranded there over the last few days due to strong winds and high tides in the sea which had kept ferry boats from reaching the island.

The navy's HTMS Klaeng patrol boat picked up the tourists, Thai and foreign, from the island and brought them safely to the shore in the eastern province, according to the navy officer attached to the First Naval Area Command in Sattahip.

Most of the tourists have visited Mark island, next to Chang and Kud islands in the upper part of the Gulf of Thailand, to dive and see corals undersea. Enditem