Diver’s body found near Samut Prakan estuary

A fishing boat discovered a body wearing diving gear and an oxygen tank floating in the sea near the mouth of the Samut Prakan estuary. Rescue teams coordinated with the marine police, who retrieved the body and brought it ashore.

The deceased was identified as Suttana, an employee who had been diving with his colleagues in rough seas.

Authorities from the Ruamkatanyu Foundation in Samut Prakan received a report about a body found floating near the Samut Prakan estuary. The discovery was linked to a diver who had gone missing while cleaning the underside of a ship near Si Chang Island. Marine police were dispatched to search approximately 30 kilometres from the shore.

After nearly 30 minutes of searching, the team found the body face-down in the water, still clad in a black diving suit with an oxygen tank strapped to the back. They brought the body to the Fish Marketing Organisation pier in the Tai Ban area of Mueang Samut Prakan district. Forensic police, including investigator Praisit Meksa, were called to the scene to examine the body, later identified as 47 year old Suttana.

Somchai, a 33 year old volunteer from the Poh Teck Tung Foundation and a friend of the deceased, arrived at the scene. Overcome with emotion upon recognising his friend’s diving suit, Somchai collapsed in tears, requiring support and comfort from the rescue team.

“We both worked for an offshore commercial industry service company. I am a diver, and Suttana was a ship engineer. On the evening of July 27 at 6pm, our seven-member team was tasked with cleaning the underside of an oil tanker near Si Chang Island, Chon Buri province.”

Fruitless search

The team operated in pairs to ensure safety, with each diver accompanied by a buddy. After the initial dive, the divers surfaced to change their oxygen tanks according to schedule. Suttana had completed his second tank change and re-entered the water. When it was time for the third change, all the divers returned to the surface except for Suttana. Despite an intensive six-hour search, they could not locate him.

“The sea was quite rough at the time, which might have caused Suttana to be swept underwater, making it impossible for him to resurface. His depth gauge showed he had descended to 32 metres, whereas the usual depth for cleaning operations is only 12 metres. Suttana had recently completed a diving course and was on his second assignment with the team.”

The body was subsequently transferred to a hospital for further examination and investigation. Police will proceed with the legal process before allowing the family to conduct religious rites for Suttana, reported KhaoSod.