Mystery as Woman Saved From Drowning, Bike Submerged Nearby

Picture courtesy of Kaoded

A 53-year-old woman is in critical condition after being pulled from a stream in a dramatic rescue by a local fisherman, raising more questions than answers after her motorbike was found submerged nearby, stuck in third gear.

The incident occurred around 11:00 on 5 August, when police in Mueang Nakhon Phanom District were alerted to a person drowning near the Hong Hor Stream bridge, a route linking Ban Noi Tai, in the municipal area, with Ban Nong Bua in the Nong Yat subdistrict.

Rescuers, including police, emergency services and local community leaders, rushed to the scene. There, 39-year-old fisherman Anupong Phonprasith became an unexpected hero when he spotted the woman waving frantically for help in the middle of the stream. He and a friend managed to drag her to safety and performed CPR after discovering she was unconscious and unresponsive.

The woman, later identified as Mrs. Chanjila Namthep, a local grocer and food vendor from the area, was rushed to Nakhon Phanom Hospital, where she remains in a coma in critical condition.

What has left authorities and family members particularly puzzled is the discovery of Mrs. Chanjila’s motorbike , a Honda Wave, lying submerged in the stream nearby.

The bike was found with its gear still engaged and all documents under the seat remained intact. However, the location raised red flags with her family.

Mr. Peeraphat Uta, her brother-in-law, told reporters that Mrs. Chanjila had a routine of waking at 03:00 to ride alone to the market to buy ingredients for her shop. Yet, he insisted she had no reason to be on the road where the crash occurred and the area was completely unfamiliar to her.

“She never used that route. It’s not on her usual path, and none of us know why she would be there. She doesn’t have any enemies, nor are there any financial issues or debts. There’s no reason for her to be running from anything,” he said.

The incident has sparked widespread speculation in the local community. How Mrs. Chanjila ended up in a remote stream, how her motorbike came to be submerged and what caused the apparent crash all remain unknown.

Police have stated that they are treating the matter as an ongoing investigation and hope that Mrs. Chanjila will recover and be able to provide answers herself.

  Adapted by Asean Now from Kaoded 2025-08-07