Thai fisherman slips into river: Rescuers face 4-hour search in strong currents
A 27 year old Myanmar fisherman tragically drowned in the Mae Klong River after he slipped while walking on a wet dock in Thailand’s central Samut Songkhram province. Despite challenging conditions, rescue teams found the body after an extensive four-hour search.
Yesterday at 3pm, friends of the lost fisherman conducted a floating pillow ceremony, a ceremony that locals believed would help locate the body. Rescue officers from the Saeng Benjatham Foundation in Samut Songkhram were alerted about the incident and immediately sent a team of divers to search the area near the docks at Laem Yai subdistrict.
Search efforts were complicated due to high tides causing the water to reach a depth of 8 metres, and strong currents. The rescue team had to carefully assess the situation at various stages to guarantee the safety of the divers. It wasn’t until 8.42 pm that they finally discovered the lifeless body and coordinated with the police to investigate the scene.
Upon inquiry, it was revealed that the deceased was a crew member on a fishing boat. Before the accident, he had been walking on a wooden dock during rainfall to load fish onto the boat. The slippery surface caused him to lose balance, fall into the water and drown, as he was unable to swim. After the recovery, officials transported the body for an autopsy and further legal proceedings.
Just last week, there was another drowning incident with the victim believed to be a worker who had gone missing.
A body of a man believed to be a missing Cambodian boat worker was found floating in the sea off Chon Buri. The body was discovered near a mangrove swamp in Sattahip district. Vice Admiral Pichai Lorchusakul, Commander of the 1st Naval Region, revealed that he had previously received a report from the fishing boat Pitchaiwari, stating that its Cambodian crew member, Yook, had accidentally fallen into the sea a few days prior near Khram Noi Island and Pet Island in the Bang Saray sub-district.
