Boy drowns at Bang Wad

KATHU: A 12-year-old boy drowned in a canal near Bang Wad Dam after swimming there with five friends yesterday afternoon.

Pol Sub Lt Pathaphi Srichai of Tung Tong Police Station told the Gazette, “Yesterday afternoon Songwut Chanmee and five friends went to swim in the klong, which is five meters deep.”

Sub Lt Pathaphi explained that after swimming, Songwut’s friends went home, but Songwut stayed behind to swim alone.

“Songwut still had not returned home an hour later, so his friends went back to get him, but they couldn’t find him. All they found were Songwut’s shorts that he had taken off and left on the ground beside the klong before going swimming,” Sub Lt Pathaphi explained.

“The boys said that they then asked people in the area to help find Songwut,” Sub Lt Pathaphi said. “About 30 minutes later they found his body.”

Sub Lt Pathaphi explained that police learned of the boy’s death only after staff at Vachira Phuket Hospital called to report it, and are waiting for autopsy results for leads to reasons why Songwut drowned.

Songwut’s body is now at Wat Kathu awaiting a funeral ceremony.