Pictures courtesy of Amarin

 

A 19-year-old law student is being hailed as a hero after performing life-saving CPR on a young girl who had drowned at a popular riverside spot in Ubon Ratchathani. Thanks to her quick thinking and training, the five-year-old is now in a stable condition and recovering in hospital.

 

The incident occurred around 13:30 on 6 May at Hat Kuduea beach in the Jaeramae subdistrict of Mueang Ubon Ratchathani. Emergency services were alerted via Thailand’s 1669 emergency line following a report from a concerned citizen that a child had fallen into the water.

 

Rescue units from the Sis Pra Jikong Foundation and Sapphasitthiprasong Hospital’s emergency response team were dispatched immediately. Upon arrival, they found local good Samaritans administering first aid to a young girl who had just been pulled from the water and was unconscious.

The child was quickly transferred to the nearby Sapphasitthiprasong Children’s Hospital where she is now under observation and no longer in critical condition.

 

The story quickly went viral after a local Facebook page, Warinchamrap Ban Hao Ubon Ratchathani, posted a photo of Miss Phannipa Thieuthit, the young woman who performed CPR and praised her composure. Miss Phannipa, a second-year law student at Ubon Ratchathani University, was helping her father sell lottery tickets during the school break when the incident occurred.

 

In a later interview, Miss Phannipa, known affectionately as “Pin”, recounted how she had just sold a ticket to the girl’s mother when she heard someone shouting that a child had fallen into the water. Acting swiftly, she gathered information and called emergency services before rushing to the scene.

 

“I saw a relative trying to shake the water out of the girl by holding her over their shoulder,” Pin explained. “I knew that wasn’t the right method. I told them to lay her flat on the ground, checked her vital signs and found her pulse was weak and she wasn’t breathing. So I performed CPR and rescue breaths.”

 

The child soon vomited water and food onto Pin, who said she didn’t mind at all. “All I could think about was saving her,” she said, adding that she was proud to have been able to use her CPR training, which she had received both at university and during military cadet training.

 

The girl’s mother, identified only as Miss A 35, told reporters that the family had been eating and playing near the water when the girl stepped into a sandy depression and went under. She blamed herself for not watching her daughter more closely and for not insisting she wear a life jacket.

 

“This was my fault,” she admitted. “But I’m so grateful we were lucky this time. I don’t know how to thank Miss Pin. Once my daughter recovers, I’ll bring her to thank her in person.”

 

Miss A also expressed heartfelt thanks to the rescue teams, medical staff, and especially Dr. Phiansak Sae-Wong, a paediatric respiratory specialist at Sapphasitthiprasong Children’s Hospital. Upon hearing of the emergency via a call from responders, Dr. Phiansak coordinated preparations for the child’s arrival, including life support and temperature control equipment.

 

“I’m overwhelmed by the kindness and professionalism of everyone who helped save my daughter,” Miss A said. “Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

 

 

  Adapted by Asean Now from Amarin 2025-05-08.

 

 

 

I would...

well done young lady ... you are an inspiration to all good young thais.