Rayong: Child Drowns in Irrigation Canal

Picture courtesy of Amarin.

A four-year-old boy has drowned after wandering away from home and entering an irrigation canal in Rayong province, leaving his mother distraught and the local community in shock.

The incident occurred at around 09:30 on 9 May, in Moo 13, Ban Na subdistrict, Klaeng district. Police from Klaeng Police Station were alerted by local rescue volunteers to the discovery of a young boy’s body in the Mab Chan irrigation canal.

The victim, identified as Sky, a 4-year-old boy from the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, was found lifeless on the bank of the water. Nearby, his mother, Ms. Sai, 32, also from Laos, was seen weeping uncontrollably as she clutched her son’s lifeless body.

According to CCTV footage, at approximately 08:57, the boy was last seen playing in front of his home before disappearing from view. Two minutes later, another camera captured him running along a nearby road before heading under a bridge. Shortly after, he entered the water and drowned.

At about 09:30, a local resident returning from work in a nearby orchard spotted what initially appeared to be a doll floating in the water. Upon closer inspection, he realised it was the child’s body, face down and entangled with a piece of bamboo. He immediately notified the boy’s mother, who had already been frantically searching for her missing son.

Police officers arrived at the scene shortly after and instructed rescue workers to transfer the body to Klaeng Hospital for a formal autopsy.

Authorities have ruled the death accidental and are working with local agencies to ensure the area is made safer for children.

  Adapted by Asean Now from Amarin 2025-05-10.