Samut Songkhram: A group of seven young construction workers faced a heart-wrenching incident while live-streaming their shellfish diving expedition, as one of their friends drowned unnoticed. They were diving in the Sri Suk Canal, located in the Bang Chakreng Subdistrict of Samut Songkhram Province, when the tragic event unfolded.
According to Thai News Agency, the teenagers set up a live stream on TikTok under the name Maew Sao to capture their shellfish diving adventure. Enthusiastically, they dived into the canal, with one friend remaining onshore to collect the shellfish retrieved by those in the water. The group remained unaware of their friend's disappearance until the live stream suddenly ended. Upon reviewing the footage, the live streamer discovered that their friend had vanished beneath the water.
The footage showed the missing individual, later identified as 14-year-old Suphachip, initially floating normally. However, he soon appeared to exhaust himself, struggling and occasionally waving his hands in distress, unnoticed by his friends. Suphachip slowly sank and disappeared from view. The group immediately alerted authorities to investigate and assist in the search.
The Samut Songkhram City Police Station, in conjunction with divers from the Sawang Bencha Tham Samut Songkhram Foundation Rescue Unit, arrived at the scene. The rescue operation was challenging due to the canal's 3-meter depth and swift currents. A coworker of the missing person performed a ritual to appease local spirits, hoping for a quick recovery. After approximately four minutes, rescuers found Suphachip's body submerged at the canal's bottom.
Further investigations revealed that Suphachip, a resident of Samut Sakhon Province, had left his home without informing his family and falsely claimed to be 28 years old to work in construction in Samut Songkhram Province. It is believed that strong tides in the canal, coupled with Suphachip's weak swimming skills, led to his drowning. Authorities have contacted his relatives and plan to send his body for an autopsy at Ratchaburi Hospital's forensic department.
Mr. Anusorn Petchnuch, 32, who was overseeing the TikTok live stream, recounted the incident. He explained that during a shift change, he and his coworkers, including Suphachip, decided to dive for shellfish. After two hours, Mr. Anusorn noticed the live stream had cut off and, upon reviewing it, discovered the tragic fate of his friend.