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Thai navy sailors have rescued four ginger cats that were abandoned on a burning ship in the Andaman Sea.

The human crew had already been evacuated, but the navy soon discovered a few forgotten members when they were sent to check the site for oil spills.

A sailor swam out to the capsized boat, before putting the cats on his back to take them to safety.

Reportedly, the felines suffered no injuries and are healthy.

They are now being cared for by their rescuers at their command post, said Reuters news agency.

On Tuesday, the Phamonsin Nava 10 fishing boat had caught fire and started to sink, about 13km (eight miles) off the paradise island of Koh Adang.

All eight of the ship's crew members had jumped off the vessel and into the sea, and were rescued by a passing fishing ship, said Thai newspaper The Nation.

When the navy was called in to inspect the site, they discovered the cats huddled together on a wooden beam.

"I used my camera to zoom in to the boat, and I saw one or two cats popping their heads out," said First-Class Petty Officer Wichit Pukdeelon of the navy's air and coastal defence division.

A Facebook post on the rescue received more than 2,500 comments on Wednesday praising the crew.