Where is Millie Young? British artist believed to be “trapped” inside the sunken vessel

Millie Young, a British illustrator and animator was believed to be trapped inside the tour boat she was on when it capsized off the coast of Thailand last week. The ship sank in the Surin Islands and is currently at a depth of 180 feet, according to the rescue teams.

The officials said a Mayday call was made shortly before 9 am on December 23, 2023. Since then, a helicopter and dozens of ships have spent days following ocean currents around to find the missing two people, as per The Independent.

There were 18 passengers aboard the Reggae Queen tour boat and 16 of them were rescued. However, Ms Young and a Thai crew member, 67-year-old cook Samniang Chaichana are yet to be found.

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British artist Millie Young goes missing after scuba diving tour boat capsizes off coast of Thailand

Millie Young, a 57-year-old British Illustrator, teacher, and animator was recently in Thailand with her friends. She was on the Reggae Queen ship when choppy waters hit the vessel four miles off the Surin Islands archipelago on Saturday, December 23, 2023.

They were near the island of Ko Torinla, in the Andaman Sea, which is some 35 miles from the mainland and is considered one of the world’s best snorkeling and diving spots, as per The Independent.

Millie Young and her friends booked five spots on the diving ship. Most of the rattled tourists were pulled to safety by a passing fishing boat, including her friends. However, Young is believed to have been swept further out to sea alongside a Thai woman who worked on the ship, as per The Mirror.

Pichet Songtan, the spokesman for the Thai Maritime Enforcement Command Centre (Thai-MECC), stated to media outlets:

"The rescue committee is working to find the sunken ship as quickly as possible. We believe that the missing people are trapped inside. The captain of the tour boat has provided additional information. He said that the boat had left Thap Lamu Pier in the afternoon of December 22, along with 13 tourists and five boat crew members."

Two days after the crash, on Christmas Day, rescue officials dragged out an empty life raft from the water after a long search for Millie Young and Samniang. The inflatable raft was found over 20 miles away from where the ship sank, according to The Independent. Rear Admiral Pongmit Narongkul reported to the media outlets about the search and rescue mission details, saying:

"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. Cargo and fishing vessels are helping with the search."

Officials think the pair could have been dragged up to 70 miles away from the boat by strong currents. A Foreign Office spokesperson noted:

“We are supporting the family of a British woman and are in contact with the local authorities after an incident in Thailand.”

In the most recent Instagram post, Millie Young shared a snap of her in a salon with friends and one of a kayak that read: "new toes n a kayak adventure".

Millie Young appears to have been living in Thailand since 2007, according to her social media. She splits her time traveling between the Southeast Asian kingdom and the UK, as per The Independent.