Accident Phuket: Kazakhstan Tourists Drowns at Kata Beach

[Georgealbert]

 

Picture courtesy of Khaosod.

 

A series of swimming  incidents has claimed the lives of two foreign tourists in Phuket over the past two days, while a third remains in critical condition. The incidents occurred at popular beaches despite the presence of lifeguards on duty.

 

At approximately 15:50 on 11 June, emergency responders from the Karon Municipality Rescue Unit were alerted by beach lifeguards to a foreign male tourist found unconscious in the waters off Kata Beach. Upon arrival, rescue personnel discovered the man showing no signs of life. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was administered on site.

 

The man was transferred to a hospital ambulance dispatched from Chalong Hospital and transported urgently to the facility. He was identified as Mr. Yevgeniy Keminsky, a 41-year-old national of Kazakhstan. Despite medical efforts, he was pronounced dead shortly after arrival. Authorities at Chalong Police Station launched an investigation and the Kazakh embassy has been informed to assist in repatriating the body.

 

Shortly afterwards, at around 16:00, another incident was reported. Rescue services from the Cherng Talay Subdistrict Administration were summoned to Bang Tao Beach, near Soi Kubor in Thalang District. A foreign female tourist, believed to be approximately 40 years old, had been caught in a rip current.

 

Lifeguards managed to pull her from the surf, where she was found unconscious and without a pulse. Immediate CPR was administered by both lifeguards and fellow tourists before she was transferred to Thalang Hospital. Her current condition is reported as critical.

 

These back-to-back incidents followed another fatality the previous day. On 10 June, a 41-year-old Albanian woman, visiting Phuket for the first time, drowned while swimming with her partner off Karon Beach.

 

Authorities have urged beachgoers to remain vigilant, obey posted safety warnings and be aware of dangerous sea conditions, particularly during the current monsoon season.

 

Related article:

 

https://aseannow.com/topic/1363285-phuket-foreign-woman-drowns-just-hours-after-arriving-on-holiday/

 

  Adapted by Asean Now from Khaosod 2025-06-12

 

 

 

[grumpyoldman]

In the eleven years I lived in Phuket, I had to have pulled no less than 25 people out of the water in low season. Included in that was one dog, who got roughed up in the surf at Nai Harn, swam out instead of in and was in a drowning death spiral when I got to him.

 

50% of the people, were drunk. The dog, not.

 

Thai kids, fully clothed and weighed down. Couldn't swim! Why are you in the water?

 

At notorious Karon, saw a friend and his Thai GF get in trouble not but 3 meters from shore when myself and another jumped in and pulled them out. They were getting pounded in the shorebreak, young Thai woman was hysterical, she thought for sure she was going to die.

 

Inexperienced water people in dangerous waters, add some drinks in the sun, recipe for disaster.

[richard_smith237]

Thinking out loud here—this may not be directly tied to the current thread, but there's a clear connection worth exploring.

 

In another discussion, a lad lays in a hospital bed with the bills piling up, and the topic of travel insurance came up.

 

While that was a separate issue, this thread draws parallels of something just as critical...

 

Every year, a number of tourists drown on Phuket’s west coast. The currents there are significantly more dangerous than in other parts of Thailand - and yet, safety infrastructure often feels like an afterthought, limited at best.

 

In that other thread, I mentioned the 300 baht tourist tax 0 something that could easily be handled through the existing TDAC system... the maths works.

- 300 baht per tourist × 35.5 million tourists = roughly 10.65 billion baht (≈ US$ 292.2 million).

 

IF The annual medical cost burden of tourists sits at just 300 million baht (≈ US$ 8.22 million). That's barely a fraction.

 

So here's my point:
There's a surplus - enough to genuinely invest in life-saving infrastructure. Not just healthcare post-accident, but proactive measures - where Phukets beaches are concerned: 

- Fully trained and equipped lifeguards

- Regular patrols across Phuket's beaches

- Public education campaigns on ocean safety

 

And no, not “beach boys on a budget”... I'm talking Bondi Rescue-level professionalism.

 

How much would that really cost, per year?