Foreign man drowns while retrieving water gun in canal in Bangkok
A foreign man drowned while reportedly retrieving his water gun in the Saen Saep Canal in Bangkok during the Songkran Festival on April 14. His nationality wasn’t specified.
Phayathai Police Station officers were notified about the drowning near Pratunam Pier in the Saen Saep Canal on the evening of April 14. Then, police officers rushed to the scene with volunteer divers from the Ruam Katanyu Foundation.
The divers took a short time searching and managed to discover the dead body of the foreign man. His identity has not yet been confirmed.
Thai PBS reported that the foreign man participated in water splashing with other foreigners and locals near the canal. He accidentally dropped his water gun in the canal and jumped in to retrieve it. However, he disappeared into the water, prompting a foreign witness to jump into the water to help him.
The foreign witness was unable to find the victim and later reported the matter to Phayathai Police Station.
A Thai man named Noi reported to the media that he was sitting and drinking alcohol with his friends near the scene. He met the foreign man before the incident, and the foreigner appeared intoxicated.
Noi said he saw the foreign man fall off the stairs near the pier and went to help him up. He asked him to sit and rest on the stairs and returned to drink with his friends.
Deputy Superintendent of Phayathai Police Station Chotpisit Narongsak reported that police also awaited the autopsy to identify the foreign man. Chotpisit suspected that the deceased might have been drunk and accidentally fell into the river.
The pier was closed from April 13 to 16, and operations resumed today, April 17, after the long Songkran holiday. Further investigation into the cause of the drowning would be conducted.
Another drowning reported during the water festival occurred yesterday, April 16, in the central province of Ratchaburi. A 14 year old Burmese boy named Tawanchai was having a water fight with his friends and went into the Chonlapratan Canal to clean himself.
Tawanchai could not swim, so he opted to hold a rope tied to a wooden pole at the bank while cleaning his body. Unfortunately, the rope snapped, causing the boy to fall into the river and drown.
