Young municipal worker drowns in Rayong River tragedy
A young municipal worker tragically drowned while cleaning the Rayong River, leaving his mother devastated by the loss. The 19 year old man disappeared beneath the water, raising his hand for help before succumbing to what is suspected to be a cramp.
The incident occurred yesterday, December 12 at 4.30pm near the Rayong Kindergarten School in the Tha Pradu area of Rayong City. Police Lieutenant Sahasnai Chaiyapalakorn received the report of a person missing in the river.
Prompt coordination with the Rayong Hospital’s on-call doctor, rescue divers, and the Sawang Pornkunson rescue unit was initiated. Upon arrival, municipal employees and locals were already searching for the missing man in the water.
After roughly an hour of searching, the team managed to retrieve the body of the young man, who was identified as 19 year old Alongkorn, a general employee for the Rayong City Municipality. There were no visible injuries on the body, and it was determined that he had drowned approximately 30 minutes before his body was found. The body was subsequently sent to Rayong Hospital for a post-mortem examination.
Amidst the sorrow, the deceased’s mother was overwhelmed with grief at the sudden loss of her young son. Chaiyaphruek Cherdchu, a supervisor and academic officer with the Rayong City Municipality, explained that the young man had entered the river to clean it by removing weeds and debris on the day of the incident.
During the cleaning operation, the young man suddenly raised his hand, indicating distress, believed to be caused by a cramp, and then vanished beneath the water.
KhaoSod reported that his colleagues immediately attempted a rescue but the depth and constant flow of the river made it impossible to locate him until the rescue team arrived.
“It is deeply saddening to lose a valuable member of our team at such a young age,” Chaiyaphruek expressed, noting the municipality’s plans to support the deceased’s family,
Preliminary police investigations, backed by witness statements, concluded that the young man likely suffered a cramp while in the water, leading to his drowning. The family has accepted the cause of death and plans to proceed with traditional funeral rites.
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