4-Year-Old Boy Drowns in Reservoir Construction Site

[Georgealbert]

 

 

A heartbroken mother mourns the death of her 4-year-old son, who drowned in a reservoir under construction. The boy fell into the water and was later found lifeless by rescue divers.

 

The incident occurred at approximately 13.00 on November 23 at a water retention reservoir excavation site in Ban Nong Kra Chai, Village 11, Khok Sung Subdistrict, Mueang Nakhon Ratchasima. The site was being developed as a water retention area for the village’s water supply system.

 

Emergency responders from Hook 31 Rescue Unit were alerted and dispatched their specialised underwater search team to the scene. The reservoir, roughly 10 metres wide and 20 metres long, was filled with murky water and surrounded by concerned residents awaiting the rescue team.

 

Initial reports identified the victim as Master Witthawat, aged 4. His mother, Ms. On, explained that she was working at a nearby housing project construction site, which was adjacent to the reservoir. She had allowed her son to play with the child of a co-worker. Shortly after, the co-worker’s child rushed back in panic, informing her that Witthawat had fallen into the water.

 

Ms. On and her colleagues immediately searched for the boy but found only his shoes and a toy car abandoned near the reservoir’s edge. The steep and slippery banks, combined with the water’s turbidity, made the search challenging. The Hook 31 diving team began their operation along the shallow edges, where the water was about 3 metres deep, before extending to the centre of the reservoir, where depths reached 5 metres.

 

After approximately 20 minutes of searching, the divers discovered the boy’s lifeless body at the reservoir’s deepest point. As his body was brought ashore, his devastated mother and grandfather broke into inconsolable cries of grief. Local police from Khok Sung Police Station conducted an investigation, and the boy’s body was taken to Maharat Nakhon Ratchasima Hospital for an autopsy.

 

Mr. Chaisit Phupharat, head of the Hook 31 Buddhist Dharma Foundation in Nakhon Ratchasima, commented on the tragedy, emphasizing the dangers of water bodies near children. “We suspect the children were playing near the reservoir’s edge, which is steep and unstable. Being so young, they lacked the awareness and ability to help themselves after falling in. The boy likely slipped to the bottom, where the water was deepest.”

 

Picture from responders.

-- 2024-11-24

 

[Geoffggi]

1 hour ago, Georgealbert said:

We suspect the children were playing near the reservoir’s edge, which is steep and unstable. Being so young, they lacked the awareness and ability to help themselves after falling in.

If people were aware of the above conditions, why were adequate safety measures i.e. fencing in place to safeguard these children??