Homeless man rescued at sea on makeshift raft in Pattaya
An unconventional rescue mission took place in Pattaya, where authorities came to the aid of a homeless man drifting in the sea on a self-constructed raft made of plastic bottles. The incident unfolded around 11am yesterday, March 12, when speedboat operators spotted a lone figure sitting atop a makeshift raft roughly 2.4 kilometres off Bali Hai Pier. Alerting the Pattaya Marine Disaster Prevention, they set the stage for a mid-sea rescue.
The figure on the raft turned out to be a 53 year old Thai man, known locally as Uncle Somkiat. He was found adrift on an 80×300 centimetres raft crafted from numerous plastic bottles.
Alongside him were some clothes, beverages, and food. The man was fatigued, unable to paddle against the strong currents that had carried him away from shore. Rescue teams swiftly moved him onto their boat and towed his innovative raft back to safety.
As per the authorities, Uncle Somkiat, who is believed to be homeless, had assembled the raft using discarded plastic bottles he found around Pattaya. His voyage towards the island of Koh Larn had begun at 4am the same day. However, the strong wind and currents had steered him off course, leaving him helplessly stranded near Koh Joon.
Fortunately, his plight was noticed by a group of speedboat operators who promptly alerted the Pattaya Marine Disaster Prevention, setting in motion his timely rescue. Attempts by The Pattaya News reporters to locate Uncle Somkiat for further comment were in vain, reported The Pattaya News.
Residents shared that Uncle Somkiat was indeed homeless and had been seen constructing his raft over a period of time. However, nobody had anticipated that he would embark on a sea voyage on his makeshift vessel. The reasons behind his daring attempt to sail to Koh Larn, an island easily reachable from Bali Hai Pier, remain a mystery.
