Nine-Year-Old Drowns in Long-Tail Boat Collision in Ratchaburi

Picture courtesy of Amarin 

An incident occurred on 23 November 2025 when two long-tail boats collided head-on in the Damnoen Saduak canal, Ratchaburi Province, resulting in the death of a nine-year-old boy. Four others, including two adults and two teenagers, sustained serious injuries and were rushed to Damnoen Saduak Hospital.

The collision happened around 19:20 in front of the City Pillar Shrine and Thong Heng Tua Shrine, Moo 6, Sri Surat Subdistrict. The boats, one measuring 4 wah and the other 3 wah (a wah being approximately 2m), sank after the impact. Rescue teams from the Ruam Jai Charity Foundation recovered the vessels and immediately began searching for missing passengers.

Among the injured were Mr Manat Saisit, 56, Mr Surin Sae Chua, 48, and two teenagers aged 16. The missing child, identified as Master Sit, 9, was later found deceased approximately 80 metres from the collision site after several hours of search operations involving local divers.

Initial investigations revealed that Mr Surin was transporting his family back from a boat race at Khlong Don Lao, while Mr Manat was heading to pick up relatives from the same event. Both boats were navigating in opposite directions, but at the point of collision, both skippers attempted evasive manoeuvres in the same direction, causing the boats to crash. The impact threw passengers into the deep canal during high tide.

Amarin reported that police at Damnoen Saduak Station are continuing their investigation, examining evidence to determine the precise cause of the collision. Authorities aim to implement measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.

Key Takeaways

• A head-on collision between two long-tail boats in Damnoen Saduak killed a nine-year-old boy.

• Four other passengers, including adults and teenagers, were seriously injured and hospitalised.

• Police continue investigating the incident and collecting evidence to determine the exact cause.

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 Adapted  by  Asean  Now from .Amarin 2025-11-25