Picture from responders.

 

A sad discovery was made in Pathum Thani’s Khlong Luang District on the evening of 21 January, when the body of a 26-year-old man was recovered from a canal after being missing for two days.

 

At approximately 19.00, police from Khlong Luang Police Station were alerted to the presence of a body in Canal 4, near Soi Khlong 4 West 23/1 in Moo 9, Khlong Si Subdistrict. Rescue divers from the Ruamkatanyu Foundation, forensic officers from Thammasat University Hospital, and local foundation staff were dispatched to the scene.

 

Upon arrival, officers found a Honda Click motorcycle, registration number from Bangkok, parked near the canal. A pair of white sandals and a blue shirt were left on the embankment. After a 20-minute search, divers located the body submerged in the water. The deceased was identified as Mr. Thanongsak Kamthong, aged 26, who had likely been dead for about 24 hours.

 

The victim’s mother, Mrs. Khonthai Kamthong, 62, tearfully recounted that her son, who worked as a delivery driver, had lived with her but stayed in a separate room. He left their home at Wat Kla Cha-um Housing Estate at around 14.00 on 20 January. Despite her attempts to call and locate him, there was no response.

 

Mrs. Khonthai was only informed of her son’s whereabouts when police contacted her, asking if she was the owner of the abandoned motorcycle. She rushed to the scene, where she found that her son had drowned. “He never talked about any problems. I don’t understand why this happened,” she lamented.

 

Mr. Somporn Pathumya, 55, the village head of Moo 9, explained that a resident had reported seeing the motorcycle parked by the canal at 16.00 on 20 January. The vehicle remained there at 18.00 with a person seated nearby. By the next morning, the motorcycle was still present, but the individual was nowhere to be seen. The sight of sandals and a shirt left on the bank led Mr. Somporn to notify the authorities, suspecting someone had jumped into the canal.

 

Police Sub-Lieutenant Warut Phumipak of Khlong Luang Police Station oversaw the investigation and documented the scene. The body was sent to the Thammasat University Hospital forensic unit for further examination to determine the exact cause of death.

 

Investigations are ongoing as family and authorities seek answers to the events leading up to this incident.

 

If you or anyone you know is in emotional distress, please contact the Samaritans of Thailand 24-hour hotline: 02 713 6791 (English), 02 713 6793 (Thai) or the Thai Mental Health Hotline at 1323 (Thai). Please also contact your friends or relatives at this time if you have feelings of loneliness, stress or depression. Seek out help.

 

-- 2025-01-23