CCTV footage captures fatal fall of British man into Phuket sewer

CCTV footage yesterday showed footage of a British man jumping into an uncovered sewer on a footpath in Phuket before he was later found dead in the drain.

Officers from Patong Police Station and rescuers from the Kuson Dham Phuket Foundation were called to investigate the discovery of the body of a foreign man in a drain outside a motorcycle shop, Tawan Bike Shop, near Patong Hospital Intersection on Phra Metta Road in the Patong district of Phuket yesterday, November 20.

The sewer was uncovered but was surrounded by a 1-metre-high metal fence. Inside the sewer, officers found the body of the foreign man, who was later identified as 36 year old British national Fraser Wright.

Wright’s legs were skyward, while his face was submerged in the water. He was wearing a black T-shirt, black shorts, and white trainers. Rescuers estimated that he had died five to six hours before his body was discovered.

Wright’s body bore no wounds or signs of physical assault. It is believed that he died from drowning after falling into the sewer.

Police reviewed CCTV footage from the motorcycle shop and saw Wright walking towards the sewer. He appeared to inspect the drain before climbing over the fence and falling into the sewer.

Officers reported the incident to a relative, 17 year old Katie Isabel, who informed them that Wright had arrived in Thailand with two family members on November 17. They were staying at a hotel in the Patong area of Phuket when Wright went missing on November 19 at about 10pm.

Neither Isabel nor Wright’s family questioned the cause of his death, as the security camera footage clearly showed what had happened. Wright’s body was transferred to Vachira Phuket Hospital for an autopsy before being sent to his home country for the funeral.

In a related incident, a Thai woman accidentally fell into a 2-metre-deep manhole on a footpath in the central province of Samut Sakhon in September. She was submerged in water for over 30 minutes before a rescue team arrived and saved her.

Another similar fatal accident was reported in May when a Thai man died after falling into a 20-metre-deep utility shaft while crossing the road. The shaft’s lid was found to be made of a thin wooden board, which was deemed inappropriate and posed a serious risk to pedestrians.