PHUKET: Marine Police were called to an emergency when a sleek yacht was holed by a rock off Phuket this afternoon. Eight people on the yacht Pimpraow fled to safety on a nearby island, Kai Nui, when they found they couldn't prevent the yacht from taking in water.

Marine Police were planning to try a pump first to see whether the yacht could be refloated and considering towing the stricken vessel back to Ao Po Grand Marina, on Phuket's east coast.