Four tourists drowned in the sea off Phuket in five days
In just five days, four tourists have died from drowning on the Thai paradise island of Phuket. The rainy season is currently in full swing in Thailand, leading to unusually high waves.
From rustic streams to deadly rivers!
The rainy season has started again in Thailand. Rob de Nijs sang “Softly the rain taps on the attic window” which sounds romantic, but I am increasingly experiencing that water can be a real danger.
An average of three children drown in Thailand every day, according to figures from the Ministry of Health. It is the number one cause of death for children under the age of 1.
Drama in Thai swimming pool with happy ending
Rooster is the pen name of an English desk editor of Asean Now, formerly Thaivisa. In addition to his daily work, he writes a column on Sundays, in which he describes an aspect or event in Thai society in a slightly teasing manner, supplemented with an overview of news from the past week.
In Asean, Thailand is still 'number one' when it comes to the number of drownings of children. The number of drownings is twice the global average, according to figures from the World Health Organization WHO.
Two Dutch people drowned in the sea near Vietnam
On Monday, two Dutch people drowned in the Vietnamese province of Thua Thien-Hue. The duo had gone swimming at a resort. Things went wrong when they were swept away by the current, according to Vietnam News.
Accidents at sea in Thailand
Although it is not always safe to travel on land, the necessary events also take place at sea. Part of it is due to not following the weather forecasts. As a result, risks are taken that could have been avoided.
Every year it's the same story: tourists who ignore the red flag on the beach and still go into the sea. Then they have to be rescued, but things often go wrong with a fatal outcome. On Wednesday, an 18-year-old Chinese boy washed up on the beach of Kamala (Phuket).
Two tourists rescued from the sea off Koh Similan
Two foreign tourists were barely saved from drowning off the coast of the Similan Islands (Phangnga) yesterday. Both had run into trouble while swimming.
Songkran: Twice as many children drown as usual
In addition to the many road deaths, twice as many children drown during Songkran. Between 2007 and 2016, 176 children under the age of 15 drowned during the long Songkran weekend.
Second tourist (19) drowned on Koh Chang
Yesterday we already wrote about the drowning of a German expat on Koh Chang, within 24 hours a 19-year-old English university student also drowned in the sea near the island.
German expat (55) drowns on Koh Chang
A 55-year-old German expat drowned on Koh Chang on Saturday after going into the water to retrieve his sons who had gone too far out to sea.
Thai boy (12) drowns two girls
A 12-year-old boy thought it necessary to throw two girls, aged 11 and 12, into the canal, who then drowned. The incident took place on Thursday at the Prawet Burirom canal in Bangkok.
The flip side of the Loy Krathong festival
Thailand's health ministry has urged parents to pay close attention to their children during the Loy Krathong festivities to protect them from accidents.
Lifeguard in Thailand
Peter Wesselink regularly visits a swimming pool near him. With some regularity he fishes out a Thai child, probably saved from certain drowning death.
The health minister announced that 807 children drowned last year. That is a decrease of 46 percent compared to the previous year. During the first four months of this year, 256 children have already drowned.
News from Thailand – Saturday, April 18, 2015
A selection of today's most important Thai news, including:
– Prayut looks back on six months of reign
– Police: Bonanza holiday park has seized land
– Naked Brit (25) is fined during Songkran
– Belgian expat (70) drowns in Hua Hin