Chanthaburi durian farmer dies under overturned mower

A 76-year-old durian orchard owner has died after the grass-cutting vehicle he was driving overturned into a water ditch and trapped him beneath it in Chanthaburi province.

Police were called at 9am on 23 July to the large fruit orchard in Moo 6, Patthawi subdistrict, Makham district. The victim, identified only as Viroj, was found submerged in the ditch under the upturned mower.

Mower overturned on sloping ditch bend

Police Lieutenant Colonel Winij Simali, a deputy investigation inspector at Makham Police Station, attended with volunteers from Sawang Katanyu Chanthaburi rescue foundation.

The crash site was about 50 metres on foot inside the orchard. Investigators found mower tracks running through the grounds, leading towards a water channel in the middle of the plantation.

At a curved, sloping section of the ditch, the mower had overturned into the water. Viroj's wife and son were at the scene, grieving beside the vehicle.

After taking photographs and interviewing witnesses, police arranged for an excavator to lift the mower from the ditch. Viroj's wife fainted when she saw her husband's body and rescue volunteers gave her emergency first aid.

Viroj, from Khung district in Chanthaburi, was still gripping a mobile phone in his left hand. He was wearing a head torch, and police estimated he had been dead for between six and 10 hours.

Worker found employer in the morning

A 37-year-old Cambodian worker, Neum, told police that his employer had been cutting grass in the orchard at night for the previous two nights.

He said this was normal for Viroj, whom he described as hardworking and accustomed to working from early evening until late at night. Viroj regularly wore a head torch while checking the orchard and operating the mower alone.

On the morning of 23 July, Neum entered the orchard to ask about work and inspect the grounds. He saw the mowing tracks and then spotted the overturned vehicle and his employer submerged beneath it. He ran to alert Viroj's wife and the authorities.

Police initially believe that, despite the head torch, the lighting may not have been sufficient. The ditch area was overgrown with thick grass and had on a slippery, curved sloping side, they said.

Investigators believe the he lost control of the mower, slid and overturned into the water. They said Viroj may initially have survived and tried to use his phone to call for help, but was unable to free himself while pinned beneath the vehicle and submerged.

Police have sent the body to Makham Hospital for a detailed post-mortem examination. It will then be released to relatives for religious rites.

Pictures courtesy of Khaosod

Join the discussion?

24 July 2026