Two killed in Phuket resort shower electric shock

Eakkapop Thongtub

 

Police question staff at the resort in Rawai. Photo: Supplied

 

PHUKET: -- Police are investigating the death of two people killed last night (Mar 23) by an electric shock from a shower unit in a guestroom at a resort in Rawai, in the south of Phuket.

 

Chalong Police were called to the resort, which they have refused to name, at 8:18pm.

 

Capt Somkiet Sarasit of the Chalong Police arrived with rescue workers to find the body of Myanmar national Khin Aye New, 31, on the floor of a guestroom bathroom.

 

Her hand, which showed burn marks, was still holding the shower head of an electric water heater mounted to the wall. Her body was lying in water that covered the shower room floor.

 

Lying nearby was the body of her boyfriend, Min Thaik Non, 30, who worked at the resort. On the floor beside him was a broom.

 

Both were unresponsive at the scene and pronounced dead on arrival at Vachira Phuket Hospital in Phuket Town.

 

Full story: http://www.thephuketnews.com/two-killed-in-phuket-resort-shower-electric-shock-61519.php

 

-- © Copyright Phuket News 2017-03-24

I'm afraid it's another same old, same old.

 

RCD / RCBO would likely have saved them.

 

RIP

Myanmar workers again.

they had an high voltage moment together...

RIP, but a surprise

Name and shame. Until these slander and libel laws. Are removed. Thailand will never change.

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Chalong Police were called to the resort, which they have refused to name,

Guarantee if it was part own by falang they'd name it. Maybe this place gives nice brown paper bags. Quality electrics/electricians. Poor grounding if any. Fair warning though, always test for minor shocks in these joints. Rubber on your feet, turn it on a bit, not standing in water, stick your finger under the water and if there's a problem you'll get a slight zap.

Had this happen to me in Chiang Rai in a hotel one time scarrry. Now realize how lucky I was. No apology they just changed the water heater.

All those water heaters fitted in bathrooms are extremely dangerous! Knowing the "quality" of the Thai electric installations! Earth and zero often connected together, no earth leakage circuit breaker which breaks the circuit within 25-40 msec. when the current leakage comes over 30 mA., no residual-current device, only a circuit breaker which breaks only with a full short circuit! Very, very dangerous!

Get a 'neon screwdriver' and use it to check the grounding of exposed metal parts of electrical appliances.  20 baht or so in the Chinese shops, such as the one behind BigC on Pattaya 2nd road.   Hacksaw  most of the shaft off it you intend carrying it in hand luggage on planes.  Should then satisfy security requirements.

Had the same problem with electrical shower units when I first visited Thailand years ago. When I settled in Thailand I bought a Japanese gas shower unit and have used one ever since. Peace of mind....

We had felt small shocks from the water heaters in our place when we first bought, even though we were assured everything was grounded,

We replaced all the heaters for better quality ones, made sure they were properly grounded and installed a fairly expensive German made circuit breaker.

I've come too far in this world to die by way of a crappy water heater installed by laymen.

 

While not wanting Thailand to become a nanny state like the one I left, there should be reasonable electricity safety laws in place, particularly in rental accommodation.

1 hour ago, ataloss said:

Had the same problem with electrical shower units when I first visited Thailand years ago. When I settled in Thailand I bought a Japanese gas shower unit and have used one ever since. Peace of mind....

 

Indeed no danger of shock, but there's that other silent killer carbon monoxide

 

1 hour ago, ataloss said:

Had the same problem with electrical shower units when I first visited Thailand years ago. When I settled in Thailand I bought a Japanese gas shower unit and have used one ever since. Peace of mind....

Even though I have earth leakage circuit breaker here and bought back a Sharp electric heater with me from L.O.S. , i preferred to buy/install a Chinese gas heater.  8 seconds later and lovely hot water and very little gas used if careful BUT BUT BUT ;-

MUST be very careful of the carbon monoxide emissions though. Must have good ventilation.

 

Great minds think alike and you just beat me to it.. Good to see you again Crossy.  :-) 

Neither a good ground nor a ground fault interrupter will be sure to save you from this.  Mount them high and keep them dry.

22 minutes ago, tuktuktuk said:

Neither a good ground nor a ground fault interrupter will be sure to save you from this.  Mount them high and keep them dry.

 

There are no guarantees in this world, but a half-decent ground and an RCD would likely not even have allowed the power on in the first place.

 

 

You can buy an effective RCBO and a box for it to go in for < 500 Baht. What's your excuse for not having one?

Our village electrician once told me thai electricity is different....doesn't need grounding. 

1 hour ago, ataloss said:

Had the same problem with electrical shower units when I first visited Thailand years ago. When I settled in Thailand I bought a Japanese gas shower unit and have used one ever since. Peace of mind....

 

Until you die of carbon monoxide poisoning like a buddy of mine a few years back.

11 minutes ago, Crossy said:

There are no guarantees in this world, but a half-decent ground and an RCD would likely not even have allowed the power on in the first place.

 

And more than the 500 baht pricetag, that's why so many of them are either yanked out, bypassed, or not installed in the first place.  

 

They require a properly designed, properly installed electrical system.  Which is too much money and trouble for a lot of places.

Guarantee if it was part own by falang they'd name it. Maybe this place gives nice brown paper bags. Quality electrics/electricians. Poor grounding if any. Fair warning though, always test for minor shocks in these joints. Rubber on your feet, turn it on a bit, not standing in water, stick your finger under the water and if there's a problem you'll get a slight zap.

Your first sentence is nonsense.

sent using Tapatalk

There are many perils in a shower and wet floor.

 

One not mentioned is an angry women!

 

Especially, if your Thai language is limited and she thinks you called her or her child 'stupid!'

46 minutes ago, Sphere said:

Our village electrician once told me thai electricity is different....doesn't need grounding. 

That's right ,,it uses you for ground and that's the End for you,,  What a simple minded moron   (:

3 hours ago, stevenl said:

Your first sentence is nonsense.

Why? Support your statement (Your first sentence is nonsense.) For certain I can't support mine. Tooooooooooooo serious stevenl, Relax.

8 hours ago, dinsdale said:

Why? Support your statement (Your first sentence is nonsense.) For certain I can't support mine. Tooooooooooooo serious stevenl, Relax.

Sure I can support mine, plenty of examples of that. However no chance in hell you can support yours, the one I was reacting to. So as soon as you have supported yours I'll get back to you on that.

 

And no, the baseless Thai bashing and 'us against them' mentality that too many people have on this forum is just ridiculous, so 'jokes' like yours should be put where they belong: in the rubbish.

Damn. I bought one of those for my wife's house. Watched a Thai guy install it 3 years ago. I am thinking of not using it now.

Just now, theguyfromanotherforum said:

Damn. I bought one of those for my wife's house. Watched a Thai guy install it 3 years ago. I am thinking of not using it now.

 

If it's grounded and has an RCD somewhere it will be just fine :)

I have had Solar water heating,for last 26 years,no electricity involved

at all.so totally safe,except when the water gets to scalding hot.must 

remember to turn cold tap on first.wonder how many units of water

heaters i would have gone through in that time.

regards worgeordie        PS as the victims Burmese dont expect any problems

                                                 for the unnamed resort,case closed.

1 hour ago, stevenl said:

Sure I can support mine, plenty of examples of that. However no chance in hell you can support yours, the one I was reacting to. So as soon as you have supported yours I'll get back to you on that.

 

And no, the baseless Thai bashing and 'us against them' mentality that too many people have on this forum is just ridiculous, so 'jokes' like yours should be put where they belong: in the rubbish.

OMG relax.

21 hours ago, Crossy said:

 

If it's grounded and has an RCD somewhere it will be just fine :)

Crossy mate,  is it a fair comment to say;- given any sort of fault (e.g. typically heater element leakage,) with even  just an RCD in circuit the unbalance between active and neutral will shut the power off,  but with a decent earth, the leakage current will not be painfully via the victim, however brief the RCD set time delay and current trip may be?     

 

Regardless of any other wisdom before or after this event in these posts, I've been quite moved by the unnecessary tragedy  of this and have compassion for;- she first up, and then he trying to rescue her maybe with the broom found nearby.       Sorry I didn't express this in my previous post.

 

On 24/03/2017 at 10:12 PM, dinsdale said:

Why? Support your statement (Your first sentence is nonsense.) For certain I can't support mine.

"For certain I can't support mine."

 

Dead right you can't!