Woman, 54, gets locked in her bathroom for three days - writes farewell message on the wall before rescue

[webfact]

Picture: Thai Rath

 

Thai Rath reported on an extraordinary tale of a small 54 year old woman who managed to lock herself in her own ensuite bathroom at a townhouse in Bangkok.

 

This happened because the lock on the door had been installed the wrong way round. When the door locked she was unable to get out.

 

Despite her screams and efforts to free herself it all came to nothing. Desperate after several days surviving on tap water she scribbled a farewell note on the bathroom wall in cream.

 

It began: "I got stuck on the 22nd and couldn't get out..."

 

Picture: Thai Rath

 

It continued that if she died please would relatives handle her affairs for her. 

 

Fortunately it didn't come to that after the woman's elder sister, unable to contact her on the phone for days, told Phrakhanong, Bangkok, police that her sister was missing. She lived alone. 

 

Pol Capt Charnchai Sornsiang and a patrol went to the four story town house in On Nut Soi 27 and found the gate locked and a metal grill sealing the front. 

 

The captain vaulted the gate and with the help of heavy tools managed to break into the house. 

 

Picture: Thai Rath

 

When they did they immediately became aware of screams coming from the third floor.

 

It was a simple matter to just open the ensuite bathroom door and inside was "A" in an exhausted state. 

 

She said that at 8 pm on August 22nd she had decided to go to bed. She placed her phone on the bed. 

 

But after finishing her business she was unable to get out. The door had always been like that with the knob on the outside.

 

Picture: Thai Rath

 

She screamed and screamed for help but no one heard her and tried to use things in the bathroom to break down the door but failed.

 

She wrote the farewell note in desperation fearing she would die. 

 

Capt Charnchai advised her to seek hospital treatment as she hadn't eaten for three days.

 

He said that the woman's predicament was made worse by the fact the whole house was completely locked up and she was high up inside the body of the house and couldn't be heard.

 

He advised people not to have door locks installed in the wrong way - especially if you live alone. 

 

 

-- © Copyright  ASEAN NOW 2022-08-26

 

- Cigna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here.

 

Monthly car subscription with first-class insurance, 24x7 assistance and more in one price - click here to find out more!

 

Get your business in front of millions of customers who read ASEAN NOW with an interest in Thailand every month - email [email protected] for more information

[connda]

Humans can go upwards of a month without food.  If she had a water source then she was at no risk of dying of anything but fear.  Scary?  Yeah.  Deadly?  No.

[RichardColeman]

1 minute ago, connda said:

Humans can go upwards of a month without food.  If she had a water source then she was at no risk of dying of anything but fear.  Scary?  Yeah.  Deadly?  No.

That rather depends of the yoyo'ing of the Thai water companies turning the water on and off for 'maintenance'

[edwinchester]

Will she get the lock fixed?

[steven100]

16 minutes ago, webfact said:

He advised people not to have door locks installed in the wrong way

Thais really give good advice don't they ....

[worgeordie]

25 minutes ago, webfact said:

He advised people not to have door locks installed in the wrong way - especially if you live alone. 

Locks for bathrooms don't have a  key ,they have push button to lock ,on inside,

and a groove on the outside to insert a coin or screwdriver to open the lock

from the outside.incase someone gets locked in..whom ever fitted it did not know.

regards worgeordie

[4MyEgo]

34 minutes ago, steven100 said:

Thais really give good advice don't they ....

Funny thing is she lived alone, the poor darling, why would she need a lock on her bathroom door.

 

I live in a house with 6 family members, when I use the bathroom, I lock the bedroom door, and leave the bathroom door open.

[VocalNeal]

hahaha. Reminds me of a guy, when I was a lad, who routinely went for an afternoon nap in the toilet at work. One day he woke up at 8pm and had to climb out of the window as the factory was all locked up.

[Photoguy21]

If she lived alone why did she bother locking the bathroom door?

[d4dang]

35 minutes ago, worgeordie said:

Locks for bathrooms don't have a  key ,they have push button to lock ,on inside,

and a groove on the outside to insert a coin or screwdriver to open the lock

from the outside.incase someone gets locked in..whom ever fitted it did not know.

regards worgeordie

disgruntled family member installed the lock?

[d4dang]

Just now, Photoguy21 said:

If she lived alone why did she bother locking the bathroom door?

ghosts?

[d4dang]

never happens in outhouses or long drops!

[Photoguy21]

1 minute ago, d4dang said:

ghosts?

They dont bother about doors being locked

[d4dang]

2 minutes ago, Photoguy21 said:

They dont bother about doors being locked

she didn't know that

[Photoguy21]

2 minutes ago, d4dang said:

she didn't know that

Maybe

[James105]

Reminds me of the time one of my friends got stuck in a public toilet on holiday somewhere.  The silly sausage forgot that when she entered the toilet it was a slide door rather than on a hinge and was screaming the building down after 30 minutes of failing to open the door.    She was in floods of tears when we "rescued" her by sliding the door open very easily.  It took her quite some time to get over the incident, her agitation about the whole thing being prolonged by our mockery of her stupidity which we engaged in for probably a bit longer than we should have.    

[sammieuk1]

Did She whiled away her time by singing Oh Dear What Can The Matter Be one old lady Got Stuck In The Lavatory ????

[2long]

What I can't understand is when the cops are in the process of the 'rescue' there was one who had time to take photos. It was either important (no time for pics) or not (too many cops on the job).

 

As for locking the door when alone in the house, I think nearly all Thais do it mainly out of habit but also out of 'what if someone breaks in while I'm here.' I poo with the bathroom and front doors open... better to get the fumes out! ????????

[userabcd]

Dying from boredom could a real issue when locked in a bathroom.

[d4dang]

if only she had her phone and was live streaming

[webfact]

Thai woman stuck in bathroom for 3 days rescued by police
 

 

After being reported as a missing person by her sister, a 54-year-old Thai woman has been rescued from her bathroom by Phra Khanong police in Bangkok.

 

She had been stuck in the room for 3 days, due to a faulty door knob. Once free, the woman said she had even written a goodbye note to her friends and family. She is now safe.

 

When police arrived, they found the house locked from the inside and had to force their way in. They heard banging emanating from the third floor and found a female inside the bathroom.

 

Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/thai-woman-stuck-in-bathroom-for-3-days-rescued-by-police/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2022-08-26

 

- Cigna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here.

 

Monthly car subscription with first-class insurance, 24x7 assistance and more in one price - click here to find out more!

[jacknorman]

look like them plastic doors, she probably didnt want to break it

[deesquared]

3 days?! Where did she use the bathroom??

[Almer]

5 hours ago, worgeordie said:

Locks for bathrooms don't have a  key ,they have push button to lock ,on inside,

and a groove on the outside to insert a coin or screwdriver to open the lock

from the outside.incase someone gets locked in..whom ever fitted it did not know.

regards worgeordie

It is the lack of common sence regarding who fitted it.

Assuming it was a plastic door I would have thought a bit of kicking and pulling if she was strong eneough would have got a positive result, anyway she is out but  will she get the lock changed!!!!!

[Dustdevil]

5 hours ago, 4MyEgo said:

Funny thing is she lived alone, the poor darling, why would she need a lock on her bathroom door.

 

I live in a house with 6 family members, when I use the bathroom, I lock the bedroom door, and leave the bathroom door open.

Six family members, oooh lucky you! No offense but it sounds almost like a Filipina's house.

 

[JeezeLooeze]

This incident reminds me of the time I popped outside my condo front door to get rid of a bag of garbage. I also live alone and in the brief 10 second time I was outside my condo a gust of wind came in from my condo balcony door and slammed my condo front door shut. The lock mechanism wouldn't allow me to open it without a key -which I didn't have with me. This wouldn't have been so bad as it just meant waiting around for a locksmith to come. The worst part was that I was only dressed in rather revealing underwear, expecting to sneak out and back to the garbage room without anyone seeing so no need to get fully dressed. Without my mobile phone I was forced to go down to lobby reception and organize a locksmith only to be met with the staring gaze of all and sundry passing through! No threat to life and limb as in this story but I could have died of embarrassment! Lesson learned: have key and dress modestly at all times!! 

[Dustdevil]

2 minutes ago, Almer said:

It is the lack of common sence regarding who fitted it.

Assuming it was a plastic door I would have thought a bit of kicking and pulling if she was strong eneough would have got a positive result, anyway she is out but  will she get the lock changed!!!!!

If it was a plastic door, why would the cops need bolt cutters to get in?

 

[tandor]

6 hours ago, edwinchester said:

Will she get the lock fixed?

...great advice from the Police Captain..

1. don't install locks the wrong way,

2. eat some food,

3. go to the hospital for a check up.

Brilliant.

[ThailandRyan]

Damn, if I got locked in the bathroom, I would just keep writing my weight on the wall after having bowel movements, water from the sink will keep you hydrated. I would have taken a long jacuzzi tub soak, and then used my towels to make pillows with for sleeping. If hungry I could eat the toothpaste, and if I wanted to get tipsy well maybe drink the mouthwash, as long as it contained alcohol.

[Foek]

6 hours ago, worgeordie said:

Locks for bathrooms don't have a  key ,they have push button to lock ,on inside,

and a groove on the outside to insert a coin or screwdriver to open the lock

from the outside.incase someone gets locked in..whom ever fitted it did not know.

regards worgeordie

Plenty of bathroom door have locks with a key opening on the opposite site. If she would have been a clever girl she would stick a key in it, but that means thinking ahead so most likely it will will never happen.

I even have a set of house keys hidden  outside in my garden in case my GF locks me out.

Happened last month and i was lucky i still remembered after 1 year i had the the keys hidden somewhere.