Death as 67-Year-Old Tractor Driver Drowns After Vehicle Plunges into Pond in Phrae

Picture courtesy of Amarin

A 67-year-old man lost his life after the tractor he was operating plunged into a pond and overturned, pinning him beneath the vehicle in a fatal accident in Soi Muen district, Phrae province.

At approximately 15:40 on 13 June, Pol. Lt. Col. Arun Chinthep of the Soi Muen Police Station received a report of a tractor crash in Moo 7, Rong Kat subdistrict. Emergency services, including local rescue foundations and divers from Phrae Volunteer Rescue Association and Den Chai Ruam Boon Rescue, were dispatched to the scene, along with medical staff from Soi Muen Hospital.

Upon arrival, authorities found the tractor submerged at the edge of a pond approximately two metres deep. After inspection, divers located the lifeless body of Mr. Sawaeng Maenchai, 67, trapped under the right wheel of the overturned vehicle. Rescue teams had to carefully lift the tractor to retrieve the deceased’s body.

According to the man who had hired Mr. Sawaeng, the victim had been contracted to plough four rai of farmland at 1,000 baht per rai. The work began at 09:00 and the employer returned home for lunch around midday. When he returned to the field at approximately 15:00, he noticed that one rai remained untouched and Mr. Sawaeng was missing.

After a brief search, he spotted the tractor submerged in the pond and immediately alerted nearby villagers for help. It is believed that Mr. Sawaeng lost control of the tractor, which then veered into the water, trapping him beneath it.

Mr. Sawaeng had reportedly been working for the same employer for four to five years. Authorities have launched a routine investigation into the incident, although no foul play is suspected.

  Adapted by Asean Now from Amarin 2025-06-15