Picture from responders.

 

A heartbreaking incident unfolded in Bang Pahan District, Ayutthaya Province, when the body of a seven-year-old boy was discovered floating in an irrigation canal, hours after he had gone missing. 

 

The young boy, known affectionately as Tonkla, was found dead near his favourite noodle shop, sparking grief and disbelief among locals who had grown fond of him.

 

Police Lieutenant Piyapong Sirijanyatham from Bang Pahan Police Station received the emergency call and arrived at the scene alongside Police Colonel Praderm Jitwatthapirom, and a rescue team from the Ayutthaya Ruamjai Foundation.

 

The child’s lifeless body was found floating face-up in the Khlong Maduea canal, clad in a football shirt and shorts. Authorities estimate that he had been dead for at least eight hours. No signs of physical assault were found. The boy lived with his grandparents in Bang Duea subdistrict.

 

His grandmother, 57-year-old Ms. Sumalee, tearfully recounted that Tonkla had gone missing the previous evening, prompting a frantic overnight search by family and neighbours. It wasn’t until the following morning that his body was discovered just outside a local noodle shop where he often played.

 

The shop’s owner, 60-year-old Ms. Nong, was visibly shaken as she spoke. She described Tonkla as a cheerful, talkative boy who had become like a grandson to her. On the day of the incident, he had made a chilling remark that now haunts her.

 

“He looked at me and said, ‘Granny, I won’t be here anymore today,’” she recalled. “I asked where he was going, but he didn’t answer. He just smiled and left.”

 

Later that afternoon, Tonkla returned briefly to buy a soft drink with 20 baht given to him by a teacher. Before leaving again, he reportedly said, “Granny, you can go home now. I’ll watch the shop for you.” Shortly after, he was seen sitting alone at a stone bench near the canal, a favourite spot of his. Ms. Nong speculates that he may have accidentally slipped into the water, particularly as the area was still wet from heavy rain from earlier.

 

In a bittersweet detail, she also shared that just days earlier she had joked with Tonkla about buying a lottery ticket. “I told him that if I won the first prize, I’d take him in and raise him myself,” she said. Tonkla had even helped her choose the ticket. She held up the ticket for reporters, tears in her eyes.

 

Police have questioned witnesses and family members and sent the boy’s body for a detailed autopsy to determine the exact cause of death. Authorities are treating the case as a tragic accident, pending the final report.

 

 

-- 2025-04-14

 

Very sad and heart breaking.

Why do the good and innocent get taken and bad and rotten seem to live forever?

RIP little angel 🙏.......

 

What do thai parents teach their children anyway? Least they could do is teach them how to swim