Man drowns in rescue attempt

NAI THON: A young man drowned off Nai Thon Beach Saturday evening while trying to rescue one of his friends. The victim was named as Prisana Sripetch, 23, from Trang, who worked as a loss prevention officer at the JW Marriott Phuket Resort and Spa. Pol Maj Suppawat Suksiri, an inspector at Tah Chat Chai Police Station, told the Gazette that K. Prisana was sitting on the beach at about 6:30 pm while his three friends were swimming. “The victim’s friends said that he went into the water to save one of them, who had shouted for help,” Maj Suppawut said. During his rescue attempt, however, K. Prisana was pulled under the surface by the strong undertow. His friends brought him to shore and tried to resuscitate him. “They told me that he still had a pulse when they got him to shore and that they tried to give him CPR before taking him to the hospital,” said Maj Suppawat. A doctor told the police that the victim died on the way to Thalang Hospital. Maj Suppawat warned people to avoid swimming at Nai Thon, notorious for its strong undertow. He said K. Prisana was in water that was only waist-deep when he was sucked under. “The beach doesn’t have red flags, but most people should know that during the monsoon season they shouldn’t swim there because it has a strong undertow,” Maj Suppawat said.