Phuket lifeguards save 2 tourists at same beach where another 2 drowned

Lifeguards at Phuket’s Kata Beach saved two foreign tourists from drowning yesterday, the same day that another two people drowned there. The lifeguards rescued a man and a woman around 35 years old. They were choking on water before being taken to the Chalong Hospital in Phuket’s main city district.

The tourists have both reportedly recovered in the hospital. They had gone swimming despite several red flags, “no swimming” signs, and lifeguards warning people not to get in the water. Another two people, a British man, and a Thai man drowned at Kata Beach yesterday when they ignored the red flags.

Authorities are urging people to follow directions and not swim in areas with red flags and rough water.

In the past week, there have been a few tragic drowning incidents at beaches in various parts of Thailand. On July 10, a young couple drowned after swimming at Koh Chang’s Lonely Beach in eastern Thailand. The two who died were a 22 year old Frenchman named Rumkurran, and a 21 year old Spanish woman named Clara Crospo Canellas.

Clara’s body was found on July 10 floating in the sea off Lonely Beach, a few hundred yards away from the Nature Beach Resort Hotel, where the couple were staying. The search for Ramkurran was called off on that day due to bad weather. When the search resumed the next morning, about 20 rescuers combed the area and found his body.

As Thailand’s monsoon season continues to cause stormy seas, more drownings are likely to happen.

SOURCE: The Phuket Express