Man trapped on rooftop tent in Mae Sai amid strong currents

A man has been trapped on a rooftop tent in the Mae Sai district of Chiang Rai for nine hours due to strong water currents. Efforts to rescue him with a jet ski were unsuccessful, prompting ongoing attempts to save him.

Yesterday, September 10, a Facebook page named แอน แม่สายมหานคร broadcasted live footage of a man stuck on the roof of a butcher’s tent at Mai Lung Khun Market. The man has been stranded since the afternoon, totalling over eight hours as of the latest update. So far, no agency has been able to reach him.

The situation intensified when the tent, on which the man was perched, was swept away by the powerful water current. The man managed to cling to a nearby building’s awning, which prevented him from being carried off by the water.

The live video, streamed by the account owner situated opposite the trapped man, revealed that an earlier attempt to rescue the man with a jet ski from the Marine Department was thwarted by the strong current, causing the jet ski to capsize.

The urgency of the situation was palpable as viewers could see the man struggling to hold on, hoping for rescue teams to devise a successful plan, reported KhaoSod.

The currents are incredibly strong, and we can only hope he has enough strength to keep holding on until help arrives, the broadcaster noted during the live stream.

In related news, rescuers navigated a motorised flat-bottomed boat through strong currents to save two middle-aged men trapped in a pigsty in a flooded field. Rising waters from a rapidly flowing stream left the men stranded and unable to escape.

At 2.30pm, on August 28, Katha Leelayut, leader of the Wang Nuea Rescue Association in Lampang province, and his team set out to bring the men to safety.

Armed with life jackets, they manoeuvred the boat through the powerful currents from the Mae Yen stream and several other streams that had overflowed, inundating nearby fields and corn plantations.