Russian drowns after ignoring warning at Surin Beach in Phuket

A Russian man drowned yesterday after swimming in the sea at Surin Beach in Phuket despite a red flag warning about strong waves.

Thai lifeguards at Surin Beach called officers from Cherngtalay Police Station yesterday, June 16, after a foreign tourist was pulled unconscious from the water. He was later identified as 64 year old Russian man Aleksei Apostolov.

Police officers and rescuers arrived while the lifeguards were performing CPR on Apostolov. The rescue team rushed him to Thalang Hospital, requesting the hospital team to meet them en route for immediate treatment. Unfortunately, the Russian died during the transfer from the rescue van to the hospital ambulance.

Lifeguards told Daily News that Apostolov arrived at Surin Beach alone around 3pm that day. It is unclear whether he noticed or ignored the red flag sign but he entered the sea despite the strong waves.

Apostolov was unable to swim back to shore due to the rough conditions, so lifeguards jumped in and brought him back to the beach. There was no report on whether the lifeguards tried to warn the Russian not to swim.

In a related report, Thai rescuers discovered the body of an American man on Nai Harn beach in Phuket last week after he went missing for several days. He was swept away by a strong wave while swimming with his son. Thai lifeguards managed to rescue his son.

In a similar incident, a 74 year old Austrian man drowned in a condominium swimming pool in Pattaya in May. His Thai wife found him submerged and sought help from people nearby. Security guards attempted CPR but were unsuccessful.

Another drowning incident occurred in the Mekong River in the Isaan province of Nong Khai in May when two siblings drowned. While swimming together, the younger brother began to drown. The older brother attempted to rescue him but was unsuccessful.