The Royal Thailand Navy became real-life heroes and were praised in newspapers and social networks after risking their lives to save four cats trapped on a sinking and burning ship.
A fishing boat caught fire off the coast of Thailand
According to reports, a fishing boat suddenly caught fire near Koh Adang Island off the coast of Thailand, causing chaos among the crew members on board.
The crew quickly sent an emergency signal and another rescue ship arrived on the scene promptly, rescuing all 8 people on board.
The huge fire began to spread, causing the ship's structures to collapse and gradually sink into the sea.
Although all the crew were rescued, four other small creatures were still trapped on the fishing boat.
Four trapped cats were discovered promptly by a sailor
After rescuing the entire crew on the fishing boat, one of the Royal Thai Navy sailors turned back again to check and suddenly spotted 4 small cats still clinging to the rim which was almost sinking into the sea.
Thatsaphon Saii, 23, from the Royal Thai Navy's Air and Coastal Defence Command Operation Unit 491 risked wearing a life jacket and swimming into rough waters 50 feet from the rescue ship to release four poor cats trapped on the burning ship.
The Royal Thailand Navy successfully rescued the four cats
Thatsaphon wore a thick life jacket to carry four cats on his shoulders and clung to a rope so his teammates could safely pull him and the cats into the rescue boat.
Thatsaphon said: "As soon as I saw one of the cats poking its head out, I immediately took off my shirt and put on a life jacket and jumped into the ocean to swim to them.
"The fire spread to the back of the boat and it was sinking faster so I knew I needed to act faster," he added.
The four cats were then safely brought onto the rescue boat and given food and water by the cup crew.
They have also been health checked and did not show any other signs of danger after the horrifying incident.
The reason for their appearance on fishing boats is unknown.
Some of the crew on the fishing boat thought that perhaps they had sneaked on board or maybe someone had accidentally placed them on board and they had hidden in some corner to enjoy the food on board.
Therefore, none of the eight crew members of the fishing boat knew about their existence.
