Seven-Year-Old Boy Drowns in Canal Amid Sweltering Heat

[Georgealbert]

 

Picture from responders.

 

A seven-year-old boy has drowned in a canal near his home in Bang Rin, Mueang Ranong, after venturing out alone to cool off during the afternoon heat. His body was later discovered submerged in the water, despite warning signs prohibiting swimming in the area.

 

At 16:30 on 15 March, Police Lieutenant Puriphat Suksawat of Mueang Ranong Police Station received a report of a missing child. Family members had raised the alarm after the boy, identified as “Garfew”, disappeared from home without anyone noticing. Local police, investigators, and emergency rescue teams were immediately deployed to search for him.

 

During the search, rescuers found the child’s clothes and a pair of cartoon-themed sandals neatly placed on the canal bank near Bang Rin Weir. Suspecting he had entered the water, divers quickly began searching the one-metre-deep section of the canal. Within ten minutes, they located his lifeless body submerged in the middle of the waterway.

 

Emergency responders performed CPR, but he showed no signs of life. Medical staff at Ranong Hospital later confirmed that he had probably died approximately an hour before being found.

 

As the child’s body was brought ashore, devastated relatives broke down in tears, struggling to comprehend the loss. His grandmother, who had raised him since birth, said she had not realised when he left the house. She believed he had gone outside to ride his bicycle, as he often did, and insisted that he had always been afraid of swimming in the canal.

 

Despite multiple warning signs prohibiting swimming in the area and previous near-drowning incidents, the boy had ventured into the water alone.

 

Following an investigation, police concluded there was no foul play, and his body was released to the family for funeral rites. Authorities have reiterated warnings for parents and guardians to remain vigilant, especially as rising temperatures increase the likelihood of children seeking out water to cool off.

 

-- 2025-03-17