A 21-year-old Chinese tourist died after drowning in a condominium swimming pool in the Jomtien area, in the early hours of 24 April 2026. Emergency responders were unable to revive him despite attempts at cardiopulmonary resuscitation at the scene. The incident occurred after the pool had closed for the night.

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At approximately 00:30, Pattaya’s Sawang Boriboon Rescue Centre received a report of a drowning at an upmarket condominium complex. Police officers and rescue volunteers were dispatched immediately to investigate. On arrival, they found the victim unconscious by the pool and began resuscitation efforts, but he was pronounced dead shortly afterwards.

The deceased was identified as Mr Shao Yihao, aged 21, a Chinese national. He was found wearing only underwear in a swimming pool with a depth of approximately 2 metres. Authorities confirmed that he had checked into a room on the 20th floor of the condominium earlier the same day.

According to Mr Ekkaluck Uppong, 46, who provided information at the scene, the condominium swimming pool closes daily at 22:00. Staff conduct routine security checks before leaving their assigned posts. He said a Chinese female friend of the victim returned from an errand and discovered Mr Shao floating in the water, prompting her to jump in, pull him from the pool and call for help.

It remains unclear when Mr Shao entered the pool, as the incident occurred after operating hours and no witnesses have come forward. Police said initial checks indicated standard procedures had been followed by staff prior to the discovery.

The body has been transferred to hospital for storage and autopsy, while authorities continue a detailed investigation into the cause of death. Officials are also working to contact the victim’s relatives to inform them of the incident and arrange further procedures.

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Adapted by ASEAN Now SiamChon 24 Apr 2026

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Seems like a lot of details missing from here, but if he was alone and obviously couldn’t swim he shouldn’t have been in the pool. A little too late for that. RIP.

4 hours ago, Georgealbert said:

report of a drowning at an upmarket condominium complex

No CCTV. Can’t be upmarket

3 hours ago, jcmj said:

Seems like a lot of details missing from here, but if he was alone and obviously couldn’t swim he shouldn’t have been in the pool. A little too late for that. RIP.

A sad loss of a very young life

RIP

You don't 'check in' to a condominium; you check-in to a hotel. He was likely an illegal short-term renter who should have been staying at a hotel. Hotels are better equipped to deal with tourists like this who defy condominium rules and they likely have better security and staff at the hotel facilities to deal with these misbehaving people.

Standard hotel pool depths in Thailand range from 1.2 to 1.5 meters, not 2 meters. Had he stayed legally in a hotel, he likely could have stood in the pool with his head above water and might still be alive. And, yes, I know it's possible to drown in shallow water.

14 minutes ago, newnative said:

You don't 'check in' to a condominium; you check-in to a hotel. He was likely an illegal short-term renter who should have been staying at a hotel. Hotels are better equipped to deal with tourists like this who defy condominium rules and they likely have better security and staff at the hotel facilities to deal with these misbehaving people.

Standard hotel pool depths in Thailand range from 1.2 to 1.5 meters, not 2 meters. Had he stayed legally in a hotel, he likely could have stood in the pool with his head above water and might still be alive. And, yes, I know it's possible to drown in shallow water.

How do you know this?

10 minutes ago, PJ71 said:

How do you know this?

Educated guess due to my experiences owning numerous Pattaya condos and information from the story--his age, 'checking in', defying the condo rules as a tourist, not a resident, etc.

4 minutes ago, newnative said:

Educated guess due to my experiences owning numerous Pattaya condos and information from the story--his age, 'checking in', defying the condo rules as a tourist, not a resident, etc.

4 minutes ago, newnative said:

Educated guess due to my experiences owning numerous Pattaya condos and information from the story--his age, 'checking in', defying the condo rules as a tourist, not a resident, etc.

Got it, just a guess - thanks.

6 minutes ago, PJ71 said:

Got it, just a guess - thanks.

He did say "likely...."

There are so many aspects of this story that are peculiar, as all pools have a shallow end, so what was he doing in the deep end? Was the deep end truly too deep for him to stand up, if so why was he there?

If he couldn't swim why didn't he stay in the shallow part of the pool? And if he ended up in the deep end why couldn't he just grab onto the side of the pool and pull himself back to the shallow end? Panic? Or perhaps some medical condition that caused the drowning? Or?

24 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

There are so many aspects of this story that are peculiar, as all pools have a shallow end, so what was he doing in the deep end? Was the deep end truly too deep for him to stand up, if so why was he there?

If he couldn't swim why didn't he stay in the shallow part of the pool? And if he ended up in the deep end why couldn't he just grab onto the side of the pool and pull himself back to the shallow end? Panic? Or perhaps some medical condition that caused the drowning? Or?

It could’ve been a medical issue that lead to the drowning….

He was found wearing only underwear in a swimming pool

Not unusual in Thailand. Hardly nobody got proper swimsuits here. Most jump in their working clothes into the water, at least here at the beach.

A terrible tragedy. RIP.

15 hours ago, pacovl46 said:

It could’ve been a medical issue that lead to the drowning….

Doubt it.

Let's wait for the autopsy. A check to see if his lungs were filled with pool water, or not, would point to where the investigation should go next.

I'm guessing he'll have a very high blood alcohol level if it was accidental.

Or, if he was roofied or had some other drug in his system, it may be murder.

Awfully convenient that he was found by his female friend who was conveniently passing-by the pool after returning from an errand...

I've noticed at most pools I swim in there are cameras. Hopefully they have video to assist with providing answers to this mystery.

RIP. Last thing anyone would be thinking about when they go away on Holiday is it maybe their last.

18 hours ago, newnative said:

Educated guess due to my experiences owning numerous Pattaya condos and information from the story--his age, 'checking in', defying the condo rules as a tourist, not a resident, etc.

Oh please, another one of your assumptious posts , another judgement passed on ethnicity, age of the poor victim

Surely we can lead lives without being judged

22 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

There are so many aspects of this story that are peculiar, as all pools have a shallow end, so what was he doing in the deep end? Was the deep end truly too deep for him to stand up, if so why was he there?

If he couldn't swim why didn't he stay in the shallow part of the pool? And if he ended up in the deep end why couldn't he just grab onto the side of the pool and pull himself back to the shallow end? Panic? Or perhaps some medical condition that caused the drowning? Or?

as all pools have a shallow end,

our pool doesn't. I installed only a ladder. That gives more space for swimming (12m)

5 hours ago, georgegeorgia said:

Oh please, another one of your assumptious posts , another judgement passed on ethnicity, age of the poor victim

Surely we can lead lives without being judged

I said nothing about his ethnicity. I mentioned age because, at only 21, he was unlikely to be an owner at the condo project and also unlikely to be working in Thailand, since he had just 'checked-in'. Later news stories have identified him as a tourist on his first day of vacation, not an owner resident or long-term rental resident of the condominium.

2 hours ago, D Peter said:

as all pools have a shallow end,

our pool doesn't. I installed only a ladder. That gives more space for swimming (12m)

Well your pool is obviously in a private home. I would argue that there might be five pools throughout the world that are in hotels, that don't have a shallow end. Or the entire pool is shallow enough to stand up.