Tour Boat Captain’s Body Discovered After 12 Hour Search : Rayong

Picture and videos from responders.

Rescue workers in Rayong on September 19, discovered the body of a missing tour boat captain in the Nong Pla Lai Reservoir. The boat had capsized the previous night, leading to a search that lasted over 12 hours.

The incident occurred around 21:00 on September 18, when a longtail boat capsized in the reservoir, located in the Pluak Daeng subdistrict of Pluak Daeng district, Rayong province. There were six tourists and the boat captain on board. While all six tourists were rescued, the driver remained missing, prompting an overnight search by the Pluak Daeng rescue team.

At 10:00 on September 19, after intense searches the rescue team’s divers went underwater again. They finally located the body of the driver, identified as 45-year-old Mr. Chaiwat, submerged 7 metres below the surface near the site of the capsized boat. His body was brought to shore, where Police Lieutenant Colonel Rakchat Petchchom of the Pluak Daeng Police Station, alongside a local hospital doctor, conducted an initial examination. No visible injuries were found, and the preliminary cause of death was determined to be drowning. The body was sent to the hospital for an autopsy.

Rescue team leader Mr. Samart Srisat explained that they had been searching for the driver since the previous night, deploying sonar equipment to locate the body. After working and searching from 22:00 until 09:00, they finally found the body.

Following this incident, the Pluak Daeng Police Station has initiated an investigation to determine the cause of the boat’s capsizing and will proceed with legal action accordingly.

-- 2024-09-20