A temple in Rayong province carried out an outdoor cremation after a 25-year-old man weighing 198kg could not be accommodated in a standard crematorium furnace, drawing attention to practical limits in funeral facilities.

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The ceremony took place on 3 May 2026 at Wat Nai Rai in tambon Phe, Mueang district. The deceased, identified as Chanathip, known as “Not”, died on 29 April 2026 from multiple underlying health conditions, according to reports.

Relatives and friends gathered for the funeral rites following several days of merit-making ceremonies. However, the temple was unable to place the body into the crematorium due to its size exceeding the capacity of the furnace.

As a result, officials and local residents arranged a traditional open-air cremation,“funeral pyre”, using firewood, charcoal and fuel. Screens were set up around the site to shield mourners from distressing scenes during the process.

The atmosphere at the ceremony was sombre, with family members visibly grieving as the rites were conducted in silence. The use of the pyre, once common in earlier times, is now rarely seen in modern Thailand, where crematoriums are widely used.

The case has highlighted limitations in existing cremation infrastructure when dealing with unusually large bodies. It has also prompted discussion among local communities about the need for adaptable facilities or alternative arrangements in such circumstances.

Temple staff and attendees worked together to ensure the ceremony was conducted respectfully, maintaining traditional practices while addressing the practical challenges. Those present described the event as both emotional and unusual due to the method required.

Daily News reported that authorities have not indicated any changes to regulations or facilities following the incident. For now, temples may continue to rely on traditional methods in exceptional cases where modern crematoriums cannot be used.

Picture courtesy of Daily News

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Adapted by ASEAN Now Dailynews 4 May 2026

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There is nothing wrong with it doing a cremation as in old times. It is a very rare occasion now, so this is a perfect solution. You can't always built things of exceptions.

If the furnace or crematorium is too small, then still no worries.

Just cut-up the corpse into more manageable pieces.

We do this all the time in our kitchen here.

Just hire a good chef who knows about such things.

I wanna burn on a pyre.

Post I made years ago on this subject that some may find amusing (or not) ...................................................................................................................................

"Up until recently I really was quite comfortable with the idea of cremation and making Thailand my final resting place. In fact, I rather liked the idea.

 

That was up until about three months ago when I happened to watch the HBO special: “The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst.” The episode where Morris Black got dismembered really stuck in my head, and for some reason it resurrected an old nagging fear of mine about whether my body would fit into a Thai-sized crematorium oven.

 

I’m not a super big guy, but I’m definitely bigger than most Thais. After watching this movie, I started wondering what would happen if I couldn’t fit in the oven. Would they chop me up like Robert Durst chopped up Morris Black? Would it be like, “Hey Prayat, do me a favor. Run home and get your chainsaw.”The thought of this really horrified me. So I decided to visit my local village temple and do some investigating to try and put my mind at ease.

 

The first time I went, I had to turn around and head back home. A funeral was in progress, and I didn’t think it would be appropriate to whip out a tape measure in front of  the grieving friends and family. My second visit, though, was more successful. The local school principal happened to be sitting at an outdoor table doing paperwork, and he spotted me as I got out of my car. After I explained what I was after, the monks told me that the grating at the entrance to the crematorium was unlocked and that I was free to have a look inside. One of the young monks made a joke about not wanting to tag along out of fear of the spirits which might be lurking about, and I have to admit it was pretty eerie staring into the firebox which still had a thick layer of ashes inside. Anyway, I got the tape measure out and quickly determined that the oven could easily accommodate all but the largest of bodies. The monks also mentioned that most temple crematoriums in Thailand were about the same dimensions: 240 mm x 75 mm. That helped put my mind at ease.

 

As I was driving away, however, I belatedly realized I had just made a terrible blunder. By asking whether the crematorium could accommodate a body of my size, there was little doubt in my mind that I had inadvertently started a rumor - which would no doubt spread like wildfire in my small village - that I was terminally ill.  Who else, after all, besides someone on their deathbed would be interested in seeing if they could fit in a crematorium oven? It wasn’t difficult to imagine people speculating (perhaps even betting) on whether I had AIDS (‘he has lost a few pounds’), my liver had finally given out (When I saw how many cases of beer he was buying, I asked if he was planning to open a bar’), or had simply decided to kill myself (‘He didn’t laugh very often, did he?’)

 

That afternoon my worst fears were confirmed. My wife, back from the market, came running into the house and exclaimed, “Is it true you’re going to die?!” If she hadn’t been grinning from ear to ear when she asked me, it would have made a very touching scene. After I reminded myself for the umpteenth time that when you’re in a cross-cultural relationship you have to make allowances for how people react to things, I assured her everything was OK. 

 

It took a lot of running around assuring people that I'm in good health, but I think I've finally convinced people I'm not about to die. My wife, being the trooper that she is, has bounced back from her initial disappointment in learning I was going to live.

 

Anyway, I just wanted to take a moment to let people who might have shared this concern know that they don’t have to worry."

Outdoor burning does increase PM2.5! The "pyre" looked made of old pallets and windowframes! It's always good to have a reminder of our own mortality.

Don't they chop up the bodies and feed them to the vultures in Tibet/Nepal?

This is disgraceful

I was recently watching a beautiful Muslim imam talking about the beautiful way that Islam cares for its dead people

They wash ,they pray upon , they shroud , they carry carefully,

and he was saying the disgrace other religions practice in funerals

The pile of wood still goes on up north. A couple guys tasked with the fire after everyone leaves.

1 hour ago, Ralf001 said:

I wanna burn on a pyre.

I think it's best to wait until you're dead.....

Just now, georgegeorgia said:

This is disgraceful

I was recently watching a beautiful Muslim imam talking about the beautiful way that Islam cares for its dead people

They wash ,they pray upon , they shroud , they carry carefully,

and he was saying the disgrace other religions practice in funerals

The guy is 198kgs. Can't lift him.

Just now, simon43 said:

I think it's best to wait until you're dead.....

Thats pre-planned, Should be able to sort a burn date easily.

15 hours ago, GammaGlobulin said:

Just cut-up the corpse into more manageable pieces.

Don't you then feed them to hungry pigs as per the Snatch movie?

this is the way they do it at the temples in Vientiane Laos

Wow. 25 years old and 200kg(440 lbs). I wonder what killed him?

I have only attended one cremation at a Wat.

There the deceased was in a large wooden box that I think was filled with wood chippings.

A monk came along and with a bottle of liquid fuel and poured it over the wood chippings.

The large box than went into the oven. So, the size of that box is an issue too.

Just now, John49 said:

I have only attended one cremation at a Wat.

There the deceased was in a large wooden box that I think was filled with wood chippings.

A monk came along and with a bottle of liquid fuel and poured it over the wood chippings.

The large box than went into the oven. So, the size of that box is an issue too.

All seem to be gas fired in the Pattaya area.

Thai's don't care much about cremations, they are more concerned if there's a free p*ss up afterwards. My wife is from a large family up north so I 've witnessed 6 cremations.