Tragic end for British backpacker in Thailand waters (video)
A British backpacker met a heartbreaking fate after a kayaking mishap in Thailand, an inquest heard in Swansea.
Shanghaman Gowribalan went missing on February 11, 2024, while kayaking in a canal near the Rajjaprabha Dam, also known as the Cheow Lan Dam, in the southern province of Surat Thani. The 24 year old drowned after his kayak overflowed, leading him to fall into the murky depths of a picturesque reservoir.
Having journeyed 6,000 miles from Wales, the Swansea-raised engineer found himself in the Cheow Lan Dam, a vast 185-square-kilometre artificial lake nestled in Khao Sok National Park. The excursion, meant to be a thrilling adventure with a friend, turned into tragedy on that fateful February morning last year.
Shortly after breakfast, Gowribalan set out on the water but the kayak took on water and capsized at about 9am, around 500 metres away from the Kraisorn Raft House. His friend’s urgent cries sparked a massive search effort, with rescue teams and scuba divers combing the waters for three intense days.
Valentine’s Day brought sombre news as Gowribalan’s body was discovered near the accommodation where he and his friend had stayed.
Gowribalan, who was born in Sri Lanka but grew up in Swansea where he attended both school and university, was described as a “hardworking, organised, and intelligent” young man with a passion for travel.
An inquest at Swansea Guildhall revealed that tourists needed to register to kayak, ensuring they received a paddle and a lifejacket, but Thai police identified no such registration had taken place.
Neither Gowribalan nor his friend were wearing lifejackets at the time of the accident. A post-mortem examination detailed the tragic findings of water and sewage in his chest cavities, The Daily Mail reported.
The inquest, led by coroner Aled Gruffydd, confirmed accidental drowning as the cause of death.
“On Ferbruary 14, 2024, Shanghaman was found deceased in Thailand. He had gone missing during a kayaking trip with his friend on Febraury 11, 2024.
“Shanghaman fell into the lake after water overflowed into the kayak. He fell into the deepest part of the reservoir approximately 500m away from where he was staying.”
The coroner offered heartfelt condolences to the deceased’s grieving family.
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