Three-year-old girl drowns in Ayutthaya canal near temple

A tragic incident unfolded today at 1.30am when a three year old girl, Fasai, drowned in a canal opposite the Chumphon Nikayaram Rajaworawihan Temple in the district of Bang Pa-in, Ayutthaya province.

The child’s distraught parents, 48 year old Kasem, and 28 year old Matana were inconsolable upon the discovery of their daughter’s body, crying out her name in a heart-wrenching scene.

After receiving the report of the missing child, Police Captain Mala Yaemchom, an investigative officer from Bang Pa-in Police Station, along with a team of divers from the Ayutthaya Ruamjai Association, rushed to the site.

Upon arrival, they found a pair of sandals floating in the water, but no sign of little Fasai. Her parents, who were in a state of shock and constantly weeping, were seen praying to the local guardian spirits and the Goddess Kongka for their daughter’s safe return.

The search effort within the canal was challenging as the water level was receding, creating a strong undercurrent.

After about an hour of searching approximately 50 metres from the dock, rescue workers finally found Fasai’s body. Lifting her from the water, both Kasem and Matana were overwhelmed with grief, embracing their daughter’s lifeless form and pleading for her to awaken.

Sequence of events

Kasem explained that he had brought Fasai to visit his 29 year old son, from a previous marriage, who was staying at the waterfront pavilion. He had briefly left his daughter in her half-brother’s care to relieve himself nearby.

When Kasem returned after about five minutes, he found his son asleep and Fasai missing. Kasem’s immediate search at the dock revealed only his daughter’s sandals and splashes on the water’s surface. In desperation, he jumped into the canal to look for her but to no avail. He then sought help from the locals and called his wife, who was at work in a factory, to come and assist in the search.

Kasem further stated that his son disappeared after the incident, possibly fearing retribution from his ex-wife’s relatives for his negligence.

The son had previously lost his job at a factory, leading to a temporary stay with Kasem, but had conflicts with Kasem’s current wife, which resulted in him living at the pavilion.

Matana conveyed her shock when her husband called her during her break at the factory to inform her of their daughter’s accident. She immediately returned and called for rescue services to aid in the search.

She learned from her husband that he had left Fasai with his son, and when he came back, she was gone. Matana expressed her deep distress, noting that she never allowed her daughter to go anywhere without her. She also mentioned her strained relationship with her stepson, who is only a year older than her.

The police preliminarily found no signs of struggle or assault on Fasai’s body. They have taken Kasem in for further questioning and are seeking his son for investigation, being the last person seen with Fasai before her tragic death. Fasai’s body has been sent to the Forensic Science Institute for a detailed autopsy to determine the cause of death, and legal proceedings will follow accordingly.

In related news, a tragedy struck as a nine year old boy drowned while saving his sister. Rescue teams located his body after a 20-minute search. The family was left devastated.