Man Drowns on First Ever Fishing Trip After Getting Tangled in Net

Picture courtesy of SiamNews.

A 34-year-old man drowned during his first attempt at fishing, after becoming entangled in a cast net and sinking to the bottom of a large pond in Phan Thong District, Chonburi Province.

Police Lieutenant Chatkanin Insohn, an investigative officer from Phan Thong Police Station, received a report of a drowning at a disused excavation pond in Moo 5, Nong Hong Subdistrict. Emergency responders from the Thammaratsamee Maneerat Foundation (Dragon Rescue Chonburi) and a diving unit were immediately dispatched to the scene.

The pond, estimated at over 100 rai was deep and expansive. The incident occurred at a section where a walkway had collapsed, leaving a 10-metre gap, where you had to swim across.

Divers located the body of Mr. Sarawut, a native of Prue Subdistrict in Surin Province, within 15 minutes of entering the water.

When retrieved, Mr. Sarawut was found with the cast net wrapped tightly around his shoulders and neck, along with a fishing basket strapped to him. His body was carried on a stretcher uphill over a 400-metre distance, in a physically demanding effort by the rescue team.

His younger sister, 27-year-old Ms. Wannipa, arrived at the scene and broke down in tears upon seeing her brother’s lifeless body. Near the pond, police discovered Mr. Sarawut’s white and red Honda Wave motorcycle, a sack and his shoulder bag, left by the water’s edge.

A co-worker and friend, Mr. Sarawut (coincidentally sharing the same first name) aged 31, told investigators that the two had come to the pond with two other colleagues on their day off from work. Mr. Sarawut, the deceased, usually kept to himself and had never gone fishing before. His friend explained that the group descended into the pond area together and that he and Mr. Sarawut had gone ahead.

When they reached the water crossing, Mr. Sarawut (the friend) managed to swim across. However, when he looked back, he no longer saw his colleague. Moments later, he spotted a floating hat and feared the worst. He remembered that Mr. Sarawut had tied the net around his torso and neck and was carrying a fish basket, possibly causing fatigue or making it impossible for him to stay afloat.

Ms. Wannipa said her brother lived alone and rarely went out. “He never liked fishing. I don’t know what made him go with his friends today. It was his first time and it ended in tragedy,” she said. “This morning, he even packed a lunch before heading out.” She added that the body would be returned to their family home in Surin for religious rites so their parents could participate in the funeral.

  Adapted by Asean Now from SiamNews 2025-06-30