Picture courtesy of ThaiRath

 

Rescue teams in Chiang Mai recovered the body of a 34-year-old man who died after his pickup truck plunged into the spillway of the Mae Kuang Udom Thara Dam in San Sai district. The man, identified as Sarawut, was found tied to the driver’s seat with a red rope, leading investigators to believe he had bound himself before driving into the water. The incident occurred on 26 October 2025 and was captured on video by local residents exercising nearby, who immediately alerted rescue personnel.

 

Divers from the Sawang Samret Foundation and Maejo Rescue Unit located the submerged black Nissan pickup in the dam and found the victim seated and strapped to the driver’s seat. His body was retrieved after the car was pulled from the water, which took nearly an hour of operations due to the steep embankment. The vehicle’s front end was damaged from the impact. Police said no external injuries or signs of foul play were found at the scene. The body was later sent to Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital for autopsy.

 

Sarawut’s father, 61-year-old Wiang, told reporters that his son had not returned home the previous night. At around 02:00, Sarawut called him while heavily intoxicated and incoherent. When asked where he was, the son refused to say, prompting his father to urge him to return home. That was their last contact before the fatal crash later. Wiang said his son had long struggled with alcohol dependence and believed stress and hallucinations had driven him to take his own life.

 

Police investigations confirmed the deceased worked as a house painter and had a record of chronic alcoholism. Pol Lt Col Natthawat Opas, an investigator with San Sai Police Station, said the man’s family had previously taken him to San Sai Hospital for treatment, but he refused to take prescribed medication and often argued with his father. In recent months, he had suffered delusions that people were trying to kill him, leading him to flee from place to place. 

 

On the night of the incident, he reportedly drank heavily and called his father to apologise. Authorities have ruled out foul play and consider the case as self-inflicted, but will wait for the autopsy results before closing the case.

 

 

Key Takeaways

 

• A 34-year-old man was found dead, tied to his car seat, after driving into Mae Kuang Dam.

• Police believe the man acted alone due to hallucinations linked to long-term alcoholism.

• The body showed no signs of assault and has been sent for autopsy in Chiang Mai.

 

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  Adapted  by  Asean  Now from ThaiRath 2025-10-27

 

 

 

 

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