Seven year old Swiss boy dies after being electrocuted on Samui beach

[Lannig]

Why did the family not kick up a big fuss?

"Compensated" i assume...

That's an even nastier and more horrible thing to say.

How about "too destroyed to see their son's name and pictures on TV and in papers, getting calls from lawyers etc."?

Let these poor folks grieve in peace.

[khunPer]

Up to 60 people a month die on the roads of Samui, on motorbikes!

Do you have any facts backing up that statement?

Two killed every day, do you know that the morgue in Nathon not have space for that.

60 per year is more realistic and then we are not counting deaths from old age etc.

60 per month on motorbike... Get a grip on your self,..

Visit a temple and you will find out that there is not a que the for the cremation.

Yes. A friend of mine used to work for Samui Rescue for 6 years. He told me this number. He told me the official number was 3 per month. That the officials were doing everything in their power to doctor the number, cover up the deaths, not count the deaths if the person died while in transit, or while in the hospital, or a month later from the injuries. The death toll on Samui is astonishing. I know several who have died. When I used to live on Samui, I would hear about deaths every other day, from friends who had witnessed the accidents, or seen the dead person being driven away. I have no idea about the morgue in Nathon, nor it's capacity. But, I do know about the numbers, and it is staggering.

My friend told me they were averaging two fatalities per day, for quite a long time. Samui is known in some places as death island. The roads on Samui, are the most dangerous place you can be, within Thailand.

The real question is, why don't the authorities do anything about it? There has never been a real helmet campaign on Samui, that has lasted more than a day. No traffic safety, no reckless driving enforcement, no speeding tickets, no sanctions against the maniac mini van drivers, nor the maniac safari jeep drivers, who on their own take out 5-10 people a month. It speaks to the level of apathy, indifference, and gross incompetence of the local and state authorities.

There has been various statements about the traffic mortality, but saying »...you end up with an island that has the highest death rate per capita, of anyplace on earth, for tourists«, may be an overstatement.

Spidermike presumably remember, like I, when the island had fortnightly printed newspapers, and that they wrote that around 85% and more of the traffic accidents were Thais, only up to some 15% counted foreigners (including tourists). At that time the official fatality rate was an average of 2-3 people a month. These facts came from the monthly police statement, which the paper quoted. I know it's a few years back we had the printed newspapers, but even with increase of traffic and accidents it will not have gone up 20-fold in some 3-4 years.

However, I have also at some points heard higher figurs, but undocumented. Some talked about 70 a year, others about 70 a month. Rob from the Facebook group "Roads of Koh Samui" states, that the difference is, that only people declared dead on site (by a doctor) counts as traffic fatalities, whilst those declared dead at a hospital are not included in the statistics; it's stated that it was changed to that way of counting some years back, and at that time the fatality felt from around 30 (if my memory serves me right) to about 3 persons a month. I have never seen any documentation referred, but a graphic representation have been displayed.

At some point it's common knowledge that some cases will be closed (untold) to media if possible, probably to avoid "bad reputation", so it may be very difficult get full knowledge about all fatal tourist incidents – but Samui Cable TV News seem to be a source telling most of it (in Thai).

And yes, the City Morgue in Nathon does not have that much capacity – if it's the few fridges only I've seen in the little building named "Morgue" in back of the government hospital – but dead tourists may be kept at private hospitals, if brought to there. If the figure 60 is correct and 15% are foreigners (tourists), then that shall be around 9 persons a month. In comparison, how many fatal accidents a month with foreigners do we read about from for example Phuket..?

[canathai8]

I find it strange reading the argument on here that the death rate isn't so bad! Whether certain posters will deny tis is what they are suggesting it'd exactly what they are trying to argue. Get a grip, its appalling. And thats taking into account that if a victim makes it to hospital before dying its not even counted as a road death!! And at the core of this is a total apathy.

This really is the thread were positive thinking turned into complete delusion.

I would have given you 2 Likes if I could have. Nice...

[canathai8]

The parents were not watching the child...the kid probably saw a protrusion and decided to tinker with it..Swiss are in their own world while in Thailand..oblivious to others and the surroundings..too bad.

What a nasty horrible thing to say. What do you know about Swiss being in their own world while in Thailand?

What about the Thais keeping their beaches safe so tourists, including Swiss, can take safe holidays with their families.

And a seven year old, of any nationality, can usually be left for a couple of minutes to make a sand castle or whatever he was doing at the time.

You get 2 likes Patsycat, okay 1..

freedom4life must be Swiss, like their hardened steel..

[cumgranosalum]

absolutely shocking a young boy is electrocuted while playing on a beach ,why was a power cable laid on a beach in the first place a case of gross ineptitude .

"ineptitude" Really?

[metisdead]

A post containing overly derogatory comments toward Thais has been removed as well as the replies:

11) You will not post slurs, degrading or overly negative comments directed towards Thailand, specific locations, Thai institutions such as the judicial or law enforcement system, Thai culture, Thai people or any other group on the basis of race, nationality, religion, gender or sexual orientation.

Another post of a profane manner has been removed:

8) You will not post disruptive or inflammatory messages, vulgarities, obscenities or profanities.

[cumgranosalum]

The parents were not watching the child...the kid probably saw a protrusion and decided to tinker with it..Swiss are in their own world while in Thailand..oblivious to others and the surroundings..too bad.

What a nasty horrible thing to say. What do you know about Swiss being in their own world while in Thailand?

What about the Thais keeping their beaches safe so tourists, including Swiss, can take safe holidays with their families.

And a seven year old, of any nationality, can usually be left for a couple of minutes to make a sand castle or whatever he was doing at the time.

You get 2 likes Patsycat, okay 1..

freedom4life must be Swiss, like their hardened steel..

Rabies?

[PoorSucker]

And yes, the City Morgue in Nathon does not have that much capacity if it's the few fridges only I've seen in the little building named "Morgue" in back of the government hospital but dead tourists may be kept at private hospitals, if brought to there. If the figure 60 is correct and 15% are foreigners (tourists), then that shall be around 9 persons a month. In comparison, how many fatal accidents a month with foreigners do we read about from for example Phuket..?

No private morgues, unless your insurance covers being dead.

[Moonsterk]

" Ex Pat Coroner" would do a booming business in the tourist hot spots.

[animatic]

Actually, many Thais and their electricians think ground wires are unsafe... Repeat unsafe, because they go bare foot and think this means it will short them to ground through their feet. Yes totally daft... An old wives tale.

Took me FIVE electricians to find one that didn't refuse to use and install grounded plugs.

[Basil B]

Have had three dimmer switches burn out and one totally melted down (melted the cover plate and fused to the adjacent switch) in the four months I have been in my newly renovated condo. Think it is time for a different electrician!

RIP to the young man. Electricity and water is a fatal mixture.

Not necessarily your electrocutions engineers fault unless they are being overloaded... (sorry about the misspell, it was a typo but I like it so much it stays )

Could be many things:

• Using more wattage bulbs than rated
• Over voltage or fluctuating voltage
• Or cheap crap "Made in China" dimmer switches

Edited February 29, 2016 by Basil B

[RC8]

I was staying at the resort when it happened. My friend received a frantic call from his wife to return as a small boy had died. She had returned after taking her 2 boys out for dinner to find people running around and crying. A couple in tears said a boy had died on the beach. She is an NHS nurse so went down to help. He was blue and damp and nobody knew what had happened to him. She took over CPR with help from a thai lady until the ambulance arrived. When we arrived back she and the kids were obviously very upset.

Next morning we asked about the boy and were told he was ok but in the afternoon it was confirmed he had died.

Very tragic. He was a lovely little boy. I remember seeing playing in the pool with other kids.

I looked every day for news of what had happened and eventually gave up. Just seen this today.

Slightly worrying that he was electrocuted as our kids played on that beach after.

[khunPer]

RC8, thanks for sharing your story.

[Basil B]

RC8 thanks for the info...

I hope the cause of the electrocution is being properly investigated and the beach has been closed off until the cable has been made safe and a through survey of the beach has been conducted to locate and inspect any other cables.

[Basil B]

Actually, many Thais and their electricians think ground wires are unsafe... Repeat unsafe, because they go bare foot and think this means it will short them to ground through their feet. Yes totally daft... An old wives tale.

Took me FIVE electricians to find one that didn't refuse to use and install grounded plugs.

Ground will only work if the supply is grounded.

The only way to to make sure the electricity cables and appliances are safe is Residual Current Circuit Breakers that detect that the difference in current in the live and neutral wires.

[lopburi3]

These RCD are fine for there purpose (to quickly stop flow when detecting imbalance) but they do not prove anything is grounded and do not require a ground to operate.

[WhizBang]

Perhaps burying power lines in Thailand is not such a good idea after all.

[PoorSucker]

Perhaps burying power lines in Thailand is not such a good idea after all.

Power lines, no problem, electrical cables, bad idea.

[Basil B]

These RCD are fine for there purpose (to quickly stop flow when detecting imbalance) but they do not prove anything is grounded and do not require a ground to operate.

They will not work unless there is some form of grounding in which to make a circuit, but this need not be at the power source, where the supplier does not ground the source the leaking power can return via leaks on other circuits.

[lopburi3]

Yes as in they operate to save your life because you make a ground allowing an imbalance between the hot and neutral to be sensed. Much better to also have a ground installed so any short to what is attached to that ground will cause overload and blow breaker, hopefully before anyone touches it.

[Nigeone]

RIP little one. And who the H. lays ungrounded electrical wires in shallow beach sand? Un-F**king-believable! Electrical safety is so pathetic here. THIS is what the government should be addressing, not the dozens of BS issues to make headlines.

same as all electrical wiring here, its "sort of" ok to lay it shallow but it should be enclosed on "the blue plastic piping" at least and the wires should be connected correctly, not twisted together. . yes electrical safety is pathetic here. lets add it to the list of pathetic safety standards, driving, motorcycling, footpaths, my God, its a big list.

and before anyone comes here bagging me, i don't speak thai and yes, i should go back too my old country if i don't like it here

Don't disagree with your comments except blue pipe should be for water only !! Yellow is usually for electric although in UK yellow would be gas

[osiboy]

How do you protect yourself from this? Could have happened to anyone... Tragic... RIP little guy..

anyone , yes,...anywhere ,..NO, TIT , when will they ever learn? , its like trying to teach your golfish to eat peanuts ,.......aint gonna happen ; RIP LITTLE MAN

[osiboy]

I was staying at the resort when it happened. My friend received a frantic call from his wife to return as a small boy had died. She had returned after taking her 2 boys out for dinner to find people running around and crying. A couple in tears said a boy had died on the beach. She is an NHS nurse so went down to help. He was blue and damp and nobody knew what had happened to him. She took over CPR with help from a thai lady until the ambulance arrived. When we arrived back she and the kids were obviously very upset.

Next morning we asked about the boy and were told he was ok but in the afternoon it was confirmed he had died.

Very tragic. He was a lovely little boy. I remember seeing playing in the pool with other kids.

I looked every day for news of what had happened and eventually gave up. Just seen this today.

Slightly worrying that he was electrocuted as our kids played on that beach after.

Family holiday in thailand ?,..not on your life . STAY AWAY until they pull themselves out of the stone age . no doubt we will never know the result of any enquiery if there is one , money is the route of all evil and will be the reason behind this somehow .,......live cables on a beach ! ...so sad .