Thai woman pulled from manhole after shocking fall and trap

A rescue team rescued a 54 year old Thai woman from a 2-metre-deep manhole on a footpath along Setthakit Road, outside her home in the central province of Samut Sakhon, after she fell and was submerged in wastewater for over 30 minutes.

The daughter of the 54 year old victim, Wiparat Yonnawa, sought help from the Mahachai Hospital Rescue team yesterday afternoon, September 2, after discovering her mother in the wastewater. She revealed to ThaiRath that she was unaware of the accident until a witness rang the bell outside her home.

The rescuers reported that the manhole was about 1 metre wide and 2 metres deep, with the wastewater level reaching about 1 metre. Wiparat was sitting in the hole, submerged up to her neck in the water. She could not stand or climb out due to exhaustion and shock.

One rescuer jumped into the manhole and a chair was lowered for Wiparat to sit on. The rescuer then tied a rope to the chair and pulled both it and Wiparat out of the hole.

Wiparat sustained minor injuries, including wounds and scratches on her arms. The rescue team cleaned her with water before transferring her to Mahachai Hospital for a medical check-up.

In a subsequent interview with ThaiRath, Wiparat described her harrowing experience, explaining that the manhole was situated outside her home. She walked over it almost daily on her way to a nearby grocery store. She was walking to the store as usual when she suddenly fell into the hole.

Wiparat said she screamed for help but no one heard her. She remained there for about 30 minutes until a passerby noticed her. She recalled that many thoughts went through her head at the time and that she feared she might die there.

The Deputy Mayor of Samut Sakhon Municipality, Sakchai Nimitoanya, told the media that officials were ordered to check each manhole in the area in preparation for the upcoming floodwater from the northern provinces. He believed that some officials might not have secured the manhole covers properly, leading to the accident.

Sakchai promised to care for the victim and emphasised that he ordered the officials to recheck all the manhole covers in the province to prevent a similar incident in the future.