South Korean man rescued from drowning near Koh Racha, Phuket

The Phuket Tourist Assistance Centre rescued a South Korean man from drowning off Koh Racha, an island in Phuket, on Monday, October 7.

The news was reported by the Phuket Hotnews, yesterday, October 8, detailing the successful rescue by Thai officials. The victim was identified as a 63 year old South Korean man, though his name was not disclosed.

The man reportedly visited Koh Racha and nearly drowned while swimming. Officers managed to save him but he was found to be exhausted. The rescue team administered oxygen before rushing him to Chalong Hospital for further treatment.

There is no update on the man’s condition, nor any details released regarding the circumstances that led to the near-drowning incident.

In a related event three weeks ago, the National Maritime Interests Protection Centre Region 3 rescued 143 Thai and foreign tourists stranded off Koh Racha due to strong winds and high waves that prevented their speedboat from returning to the mainland. All tourists were rescued safely.

There have been multiple incidents involving South Korean nationals at Koh Racha in the past. In October 2016, a 13 year old South Korean girl, Harlan Park, drowned in Koh Racha while travelling with her parents, Hee Bok Park and Kim Young Joo.

In 2019, a 73 year old South Korean woman, Lee Yoo Sun, drowned while swimming in the sea near Koh Racha Noi.

In the same year, a 37 year old South Korean man named Sunghyun Cho and a 34 year old Thai dive instructor, Pongsathorn Madnui, drowned in La Bay of Koh Racha. The pair were diving at a depth of about 4 metres for only 10 minutes before staff from a travel agency noticed them floating unconscious in the water.

It is suspected that Cho may have had an accident with his oxygen tank and rushed to the instructor for help, possibly wrapping his arm around the instructor in a bid to survive, which led to both of them drowning.

Another theory is that Cho was about to drown, prompting the Thai instructor to attempt a rescue, but both were ultimately exhausted, leading to their deaths.