Jet ski rider disappears in Bang Pakong River, near Bangkok

A tragic incident unfolded in Bang Pakong, east of Bangkok, where a well-respected jet ski rider vanished without a trace. Rescuers were alerted to the missing man after locals who had been cutting saplings on the riverbank spotted an abandoned jet ski mid-river.

Despite an extensive overnight search which lasted more than nine hours, authorities have yet to locate the missing jet ski rider, identified as Weerapol Athinuwat, commonly known as Moss, around 30 years old.

Locals stumbled upon the idle jet ski in the Bang Pakong River and quickly raised an alert. Police organised a search operation in coordination with the Chachoengsao rescue unit. Search operations for Moss conducted across both river banks and the river’s centre using a sonar scanner led to the detection of four possible locations. However, despite three divers probing eight metres deep to search for the missing man, there has been no body recovered.

Officials continued the search operation on foot, scanning the river banks where the sapling cutters had seen the floating jet ski. No sign of the missing man was found by the time the search operation finally ended at around 2.30am.

According to a rescue worker, the incident was reported to Aek Kheneek, Moss’s employer who runs a local boat shop. the rescuer explained that Moss had taken out a jet ski for a routine engine test around 4pm, a common occurrence.

Later sapling cutters informed the shop about a stranded jet ski mid-river, but there was no sign of its rider. On inspection, the jet ski’s key was found placed next to it. Initial assumptions suggested that Moss had unintentionally fallen into the water, perhaps due to some obstruction in the boat’s propeller.

Authorities suspect that Moss docked the jet ski near the bank and removed his life jacket to remove debris from the boat propeller beneath the boat. While in the water, he may have cramped up and eventually succumbed to the waters of the Bang Pakong River, leaving the jet ski to drift towards the river’s centre, reported KhaoSod.

Ironically, Moss was known for his valiant contributions to previous rescue operations. He had previously saved a man jumping into the river from a bridge as well as a 13 year old boy attempting to assist the jumper. He also participated in numerous searches for lost individuals in the Bang Pakong River along with the Chachoengsao rescue team.