“We must not lose hope. We are trying to find them to the best of our ability. It is a difficult operation due to the large search area, but we have mobilized all the available resources we have and I believe that the search will succeed soon,” Vice Governor Supoj said.
Today (Dec 9) concluded the third day of the search for the couple, without success.
Officials this morning expanded the search area to about 30 nautical miles from Yanui Beach. (See story here.)
Maj Ekkachai Siri of the Phuket Tourist Police told The Phuket News that search organisers will meet tonight to set out the search efforts for tomorrow.
At the search headquarters set up at Yanui beach today, Rear Admiral Cherngchaiyot Atsuwee, Deputy Commander of the Royal Thai Navy Third Area Command base at Cape Panwa, said search teams had covered an estimated 70% of the 400-square-mile search area.
“If we cannot find them, we will keep expending the area,” he said.
Rear Admiral Cherngchaiyot said that at this stage, with Mr Juszkiewicz and Ms Werakan already spending three days at sea on a kayak, the situation was “quite worrisome”.
“Whether the couple survive depends on how strong they are. They may stay alive a little longer, but not if they were not already quite healthy,” he said.
Mr Juszkiewicz and Ms Werakan were last seen kayaking with friends off Yanui Beach late Saturday afternoon (Dec 7).
The group hired four kayaks to explore the waters and small island just offshore Yanui Beach, but when the group returned ashore at about 6:30pm Mr Juszkiewicz and Ms Werakan were missing.
Police were told by Mr Juszkiewicz’s friends that Mr Juszkiewicz called them while they were on the way back, and that he said that he and Ms Werakan were still far away and not able to return to the shore. They lost contact after that. (See story here.)