Pattaya Flying Club claims another victim, a Russian

The Pattaya Flying Club claimed another victim yesterday after a Russian man fell to his death from the 8^th floor of his hotel in the notorious holiday resort hot spot.

The insensitively named Pattaya Flying Club is the term given to troubled foreigners who commit suicide by throwing themselves off a balcony of a Pattaya hotel and ultimately to their death. Yesterday a 33 year old Russian man became another statistic of the senseless club.

Staff reported that the unnamed Russian man and his Russian girlfriend were having a row before he threw himself off the 8th-floor balcony at about 5pm and landed in the crowded lobby shocking dozens of staff and tourists.

The name of the hotel has been withheld pending an investigation by Pattaya Police but Pattaya News reported the hotel is on Pratumnak Soi 5.

Pattaya Police Chief Kunlachart Kunlachai and his team arrived on the scene to find the Russian man lying heavily injured but alive in the lobby. He had multiple broken bones and other severe injuries. His name has been withheld pending contact with his embassy and family.

Pictures courtesy of Pattaya News.

Sawang Boriboon rescue teams transported the injured Russian to a hospital but unfortunately, he died soon after arriving.

Hotel staff told reporters that the couple were involved in a screaming match in front of their 8^th-floor hotel room, which has a balcony overlooking the lobby. But because nobody spoke Russian no one could understand what the argument was about.

Hotel staff said the Russian man suddenly climbed over the balcony and jumped to his death, landing in the lobby. His girlfriend fled the scene via a fire escape.

Pattaya Police Chief Kunlachart Kunlachai reported that officers are looking for the woman and that they would check CCTV footage to get a clearer picture of the incident.

The relatives of the victim and his embassy were being contacted.

The Russian is not the only recent victim of the Pattaya Flying Club. A 41 year old Aussie man threw himself off the balcony of his hotel in Pattaya in August, as did an 82 year old German man. Another man, a 72 year old foreigner, suspiciously fell to his death earlier this year.

If you or anyone you know is in emotional distress, please contact the Samaritans of Thailand 24-hour hotline: 02 713 6791 (English), 02 713 6793 (Thai), or the Thai Mental Health Hotline at 1323 (Thai). Please also contact your friends or relatives at this time if you have feelings of loneliness, stress, or depression. Seek help.