Fishermen were rescued after floating in the sea for nine hours when their boat capsized.

The crew of trawlers were heading to fishing ground off the island of Koh Kood in, Trat province, southern Thailand, when their boat was pounded by gusty winds and rough waves on July 12 evening.

As the tropical weather battered the vessel, their water pump broke and soon after the boat was filled with water and capsized.

Seven fishermen including their captain jumped into the water and clung to a pile of styrofoam buoy for nine hours until they were found by authorities the next morning on July 13.

Asawin Jaisue, the captain of the Chokmanasanun 1 ship, said: ‘The boat was near Ko Mai Si island when it all happened. The pump stopped working while the crew was asleep.

‘When we woke up, the water had taken half of the boat. The boat sank into the sea while we all swam and held on to the buoy for survival.'

The captain was able to send a distressed signal to authorities who did a search and rescue.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Surasak Phakaew said: ‘Rescue teams rushed to the scene after the fishermen contacted us for help. All the crew members survived.'

The exhausted fishermen were taken to Khlong Yai hospital for a health check but no one was seriously hurt.

Thailand and other countries in Southeast Asia such as Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines are in the middle of their tropical monsoon rainy season, which lasts until October or November.