Hydropower Plant Worker Drowns After Being Sucked into Drainage Gate

[Georgealbert]

 

Picture from responders.

 

A incident occurred at the Phabong Hydropower Plant in Mae Hong Son when a worker was pulled into a drainage gate and drowned while clearing aquatic debris. The incident took place in full view of his colleagues, who were unable to rescue him in time.

 

Pol. Lt. Col. Khetnan Sillalit, an investigator at Nam Piang Din Police Station, received a report of a drowning incident at the Ban Phabong Hydropower Dam. Emergency response teams, including divers from the Mae Hong Son Disaster Relief Foundation, local rescue units, and medical staff from Srisangwan Hospital, were dispatched to the scene.

 

The dam, which generates electricity for Mae Hong Son, is built on the Mae Samat River. The accident occurred at the water discharge gate, where authorities discovered the victim’s body trapped within the drainage system.

 

Rescue workers had to open the sluice gate to release the body from the strong currents before retrieving it for examination. The victim was identified as Mr Sanguan Sangsarn, 44, a long-serving employee at the hydropower plant.

 

According to witness accounts, Mr Sanguan and several colleagues were clearing weeds and straw that had accumulated around the drainage gate, obstructing water flow. Normally, they would throw the debris into the water and use a pole to push it through the gate.

 

However, on this occasion, Mr Sanguan attempted to manually place the debris into the narrow opening. In doing so, he lost his balance and was suddenly pulled into the drainage gate by the strong water suction. His colleagues watched in horror but were unable to assist him.

 

A diving team was deployed to recover his body, but the force of the water made retrieval difficult. After two hours of effort, authorities decided to open the sluice gate, allowing the body to be carried out by the current. The body was then taken to the hospital for further examination.

 

Authorities have urged workers to follow strict safety protocols when performing maintenance near high-risk areas to prevent similar tragedies in the future.

 

-- 2025-03-06

 

[flyingtlger]

17 minutes ago, Georgealbert said:

Rescue workers had to open the sluice gate

 

Initially, I thought I read "suicide" gate.......