Grandmother and Four-Year-Old Grandson Drown in Incident in Buriram

Picture courtesy of Khoasod.

A 67-year-old grandmother and her four-year-old grandson drowned in a pond in Krasang district, Buriram province, after the child is believed to have fallen in and the grandmother attempted to rescue him.

On 8 March, local police, along with rescue divers from Sawang Chanyatham Foundation, were called to a large pond measuring approximately 35 by 45 metres, with a depth of six metres, in a rice field in Ban Raka, Ban Prue subdistrict.

Upon arrival, officers found a child’s shoe, along with a hat, a bag, and a betel nut mortar near the water’s edge. Divers located the bodies of the grandmother, identified as Ms. Chan, and her grandson, known as Rambo, together beneath the water.

Ms. Chan, a farmer who cared for two buffaloes, had been looking after her grandson as his parents worked in another province. She regularly took him to the fields, unwilling to leave him alone at home.

When Ms. Chan failed to return with the buffaloes before evening, her 65-year-old sister, Sri, became concerned and went to look for her. Upon discovering her sister’s hat by the pond and a child’s shoe floating in the water, she feared the worst and alerted authorities.

Mr. Phet, 44, Ms. Chan’s son, described how devoted his mother was to her grandson, never letting him out of her sight.

“It is likely that Rambo accidentally fell into the pond, and my mother, in an attempt to save him, was unable to keep herself afloat due to the pond’s depth,” he said.

Relatives confirmed they do not suspect foul play, and police have released the bodies to the family for funeral rites.

-- 2025-03-10