Weather delays search for Thais students missing in the US

[snoop1130]

Weather delays search for Thais students missing in the US

By The Nation

 

Photo : Nat News TV

 

To the dismay of the families of two Thai students whose rental car plunged off a cliff in the US late last month, US agencies have postponed a bid to retrieve the vehicle due to strong winds and river currents.
 

The Thai Consulate General office in Los Angeles tried to hire private rescue firms to retrieve the car that was submerged in a river below the 150-metre-high cliff along a route leading to Kings’ Canyon National Park.

 

The attempt was rejected and the Thai officials were informed that the California Highway Police and county sheriff’s office had the most qualified experts to do the job. The agency was due to start the recovery effort yesterday, but it has been postponed until tomorrow.

 

Families of Thiwadee Saengsuriyarit and Bhakapon Chairattanasongporn arrived in LA on the weekend after the University of Florida post-graduate students were reported missing on July 26.

 

Their families were initially informed that the US team would use either a helicopter or flying drone to check the vehicle on Monday, in order to locate the two students who are still listed as missing persons. 

 

According to the Facebook page of the Thai Consulate General office in LA, the US agencies told the families on Sunday afternoon that a helicopter might not be able to land in the area due to strong winds and river current.

 

The job has been delayed tentatively until Wednesday in the US. “The families are more distraught after hearing the update,” according to the Facebook page. 

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30323095

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-8-7

[webfact]

UPDATE:

Weather delays search for students missing after cliff plunge

By The Nation

 

 

To the dismay of the families of two Thai students whose rental car plunged off a cliff in the US late last month, US agencies have postponed a bid to retrieve the vehicle due to strong winds and river currents.

The Thai Consulate General office in Los Angeles tried to hire private rescue firms to retrieve the car that was submerged in a river below the 150-metre-high cliff along a route leading to Kings’ Canyon National Park.

 

The attempt was rejected and the Thai officials were informed that the California Highway Police and county sheriff’s office had the most qualified experts to do the job. The agency was due to start the recovery effort yesterday, but it has been postponed until tomorrow.

 

Families of Thiwadee Saengsuriyarit and Bhakapon Chairattanasongporn arrived in LA on the weekend after the University of Florida post-graduate students were reported missing on July 26.

 

Their families were initially informed that the US team would use either a helicopter or flying drone to check the vehicle yesterday, to locate the two students who are still listed as missing persons. 

 

According to the Facebook page of the Thai Consulate General office in LA, the US agencies told the families on Sunday afternoon that a helicopter might not be able to land in the area due to strong winds and river current.

 

The job has been delayed tentatively until tomorrow.

 

“The families are more distraught after hearing the update,” according to the Facebook page. 

 

The consulate has provided accommodation for the students’ families and taken them to the site on the highway where the car plunged off the cliff. They were also taken to visit Wat Padhammachart in La Puente and nearby Hsi Lai Temple to pray and make merit. 

 

Earlier, they visited a hotel where the students stayed on the night of July 25 to pick up the belongings left there. However, they were told that the police had taken the belongings so they could collect evidence.

 

The hotel’s owner alerted police after the students did not check out of the hotel on July 26.

 

An assistant rector of the University of South Florida who accompanied the team said the university would take care of the belongings left at the university and handle the insurance of the rental car.

 

Thai consul general Tanee Sangrat was quoted on his office’s Facebook page that he could not accept the delays by the US authorities, and pointed out that Thailand had always taken immediate steps to rescue injured foreigners. This could possibly become an issue, he said.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30323114

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-08-08

[Damrongsak]

Looks like they completely missed the curve.  Just drove straight ahead and through the barrier.

 

 

[Credo]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Thai consul general Tanee Sangrat was quoted on his office’s Facebook page that he could not accept the delays by the US authorities, and pointed out that Thailand had always taken immediate steps to rescue injured foreigners. This could possibly become an issue, he said.

There is no way the US is going to allow someone to seriously endanger themselves in what is clearly not a rescue mission.   It is recovery operation.   

 

 

[YetAnother]

35 minutes ago, Credo said:

There is no way the US is going to allow someone to seriously endanger themselves in what is clearly not a rescue mission.   It is recovery operation.   

 

 

well said; article attempts foreigner-bashing

[asiaexpat]

California has some of the world's best mountain/swiftwater rescue teams and they routinely save many lives, but to foolishly risk more lives to recover the dead is beyond their call of duty. Khun Thanee's comments are not only unjustified but also shows he is unfamiliar the terrain in this area of California. 

[Briggsy]

3 minutes ago, asiaexpat said:

California has some of the world's best mountain/swiftwater rescue teams and they routinely save many lives, but to foolishly risk more lives to recover the dead is beyond their call of duty. Khun Thanee's comments are not only unjustified but also shows he is unfamiliar the terrain in this area of California. 

Indeed, not only that but he is giving false hope to the families that their children may still be alive.

[webfact]

Don defends US efforts to reach missing students’ car

By The Nation

 

 

BANGKOK: -- Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai on Tuesday said authorities in the United States had tried their best to retrieve the car rented by two missing Thai students that plunged into a California ravine late last month.

 

He was responding to reported criticism by relatives of the students who had travelled to the US. The relatives complained about authorities failing to reach the car, which is embedded in a rain-swollen river.  They believe clues might be discovered inside as to the students’ fate.

 

California highway police have blamed heavy rain and a strong river current for blocking their efforts to retrieve the vehicle in the 12 days since the accident, to which there were no witnesses.

 

Don said the Thai Consulate General Office in Los Angeles had assured him the state authorities have done their best to get to the car.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30323179

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-08-08

[webfact]

Hopes dashed as bodies of Thai students found after 13 days

 

 

There will be no miracle for the families of two Thai students missing in the United States as the Thai Consulate General in LA revealed on Tuesday, the 13th day after their rental car plunged into a ravine in a California park that a rescue team found their bodies inside the car.

 

There had been dim hopes that Thiwadee Saengsuriyarit, 24, and Bhakapon Chairattanasongporn, 28, two postgraduate students at the South Florida University, could have survived the accident that saw their car submerged in a river at the base of a 150metre cliff.

 

US agencies had been treating the two students as “missing” after they failed to return to their hotel on July 26 because rescuers had not been able to safely reach the car.

 

Thai Consulate General Tanee Sangrat told a radio station in Bangkok in a telephone interview on Tuesday that a US team had been able to descend to the car and found the bodies.

 

Rescue teams had been prevented from landing a helicopter at the site and reaching the car due to bad weather and strong river currents. It was also reported earlier that activated airbags had prevented rescuers from seeing inside the car.

 

Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai said earlier on Tuesday that authorities in the US had tried their best to retrieve the car despite the harsh conditions.

 

He was responding to reported criticism by relatives of the students who had travelled to the US. They reportedly had complained about authorities’ failure to reach the car and said they believed clues might be discovered inside as to the students’ fate. 

 

California Highway Patrol blamed heavy rains and a strong river current for blocking their efforts to retrieve the vehicle since the accident, to which there were no witnesses. 

 

Don said the Thai Consulate General Office in Los Angeles had assured him that California authorities had done their best to get to the car, although previous reports indicated that the consulate had criticised US rescue operations.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30323203

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-08-08

[sweatalot]

Tragic but expected.

At least the uncertainty is over

Edited August 8, 2017 by sweatalot

[Classic Ray]

Bloody cheek when Thai authorities have to be bullied into taking the slightest action e.g. Koh Tao many cases etc . Kudos to the Yanks for reaching the bodies and not killing any rescuers in the attempt.

[Ulic]

There was never any uncertainty but at least there is no closure for

the families.

[HerbalEd]

The parents said "... said they believed clues might be discovered inside [the car] as to the students’ fate."   Well, they were right about that.