A foreign national has drawn criticism after being filmed sitting on the edge of an abandoned eight-storey building in Phuket's Wichit district while friends took photographs.
Residents recorded the episode and shared it online, where the footage gained widespread attention before being republished by several Thai news outlets. The report was published on July 31, 2026.
Footage triggers local alarm
The video shows the man on the upper floor with both legs hanging over the side of the unfinished concrete structure. There are no protective walls or balcony railings on any of the floors.
A Thai man filming the scene can be heard warning of the risk. "What will happen if this foreigner falls? Don't do this. Such a quality tourist. This is dangerous, very dangerous," he said.
It was not clear how many people had entered the building, or whether others travelling with the man had also gone up to the rooftop.
An unprotected and abandoned site
Locals told reporters that construction at the site was abandoned more than four years ago. Construction materials and exposed steel reinforcement bars are still present on the ground floor, creating further risks for anyone who enters.
Picture courtesy of One News
Residents said the landowner allows vendors to operate businesses near the entrance in return for helping keep watch over the property. Vendors said they spotted tourists going inside while they were running their stalls nearby.
One resident told the media that a Thai national had previously died after falling from the rooftop of the same building.
The resident urged both Thai people and foreign visitors not to enter the structure, citing the danger of serious injury as well as the potential consequences of accessing private land without authorisation.
Safety before social media photographs
Phuket's mix of construction sites, undeveloped plots and abandoned buildings can be tempting locations for photographs, particularly for tourists unfamiliar with the area. However, visitors should stay within public access areas and avoid entering sites that are fenced, unguarded or clearly unfinished.
The footage has renewed local concerns that a photograph taken from a dangerous location can quickly become a fatal fall.
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1 August 2026
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