Man missing after falling into Bang Pakong River on New Year’s
A 50 year old man disappeared after slipping into the Bang Pakong River while celebrating the new year with friends in Chachoengsao. Despite an extensive search using drones and boats, the man remains missing.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Wanchai Prathom received a report of a man falling into the river near the clock tower on Maruphong Riverside Road, in the Na Mueang subdistrict of Chachoengsao. Following the report, local rescue teams were mobilised to search for the missing individual.
The rescue operation involved ground searches, thermal imaging drones, and municipal boats combing the waters, but after two hours, Saichon was not found.
Hiran Yaempinit, a 48 year old man, recounted the events leading up to the incident. He and his friends were drinking near the clock tower when Saichon, already heavily intoxicated, joined the group. As midnight approached, they continued to celebrate until the fireworks concluded.
Saichon then excused himself to urinate. Initially, Hiran was unaware that Saichon had gone to relieve himself by the riverbank until shouts alerted everyone that someone had fallen into the water. Hiran rushed to the scene only to discover that it was his friend Saichon who had disappeared beneath the river’s surface.
Sunthorn Pathapee, a 24 year old witness, described how he and his friends were socialising by the Bang Pakong River when locals started shouting for help, mentioning someone had fallen into the river. Sunthorn and his friends went to investigate but only found Saichon’s shoes floating approximately 50 metres from where he fell, reported KhaoSod.
The Chachoengsao rescue team halted their search temporarily, planning to resume their efforts the following morning. The plan was to restructure their search strategy to locate Saichon, whose whereabouts remained unknown despite the initial search efforts.
In related news, a man who climbed a tree to rest tragically fell into the Wang River and died. His body was discovered by a Good Samaritan who was relaxing at a riverside park.
