Swedish man drowns in Chon Buri while swimming after drinking beer
A Swedish tourist drowned in the sea off Somprasong Beach in the Na Jomtien sub-district of Sattahip district, Chon Buri province, on Sunday, January 4, despite efforts by rescuers and bystanders to revive him.
Officers from Na Jomtien Police Station were alerted to the incident at around 1.30pm and rushed to the beach along with rescue workers from the Sawang Rojanathammasatan Foundation.
When police arrived, they found beachgoers and witnesses attempting to help the victim, who was later identified as 59 year old Swedish national Stefan Peter Karzal. He was wearing swimwear and lying unconscious on the sand.
Rescuers joined Good Samaritans in performing CPR on the tourist, but all attempts were unsuccessful. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to the victim’s close female companion, they visited the beach to relax and swim. She said Karzal had consumed beer before entering the sea. Shortly afterwards, the drowning incident occurred.
Police collected evidence at the scene and questioned witnesses before arranging for the body to be transferred to the Institute of Forensic Medicine at Police General Hospital for a post-mortem examination to determine the exact cause of death.
Authorities have also coordinated with the Swedish embassy to notify the victim’s relatives so arrangements can be made to return the body to Sweden for funeral rites.
Several similar incidents have been reported in Thailand in recent months. Last week, Thai lifeguards successfully rescued a Dutch woman who nearly drowned in the sea off Jomtien Beach. She reportedly suffered muscle cramps while swimming and was initially pulled from the water without a detectable pulse.
In another case reported in Pattaya in August last year, a Thai man saved a Thai woman from drowning after she entered the sea alone following a night of drinking with friends.
Rescue attempts can also be extremely dangerous. Last month, an Israeli man drowned on Koh Pha Ngan while trying to rescue his son. In August last year, a Russian man drowned in Phuket after successfully saving his girlfriend from the sea.
