Foreign tourist missing after falling into a Pattaya canal

A foreign tourist accidentally fell into a canal in Pattaya late yesterday afternoon, prompting a search and rescue operation which continued throughout the night, despite heavy rain that caused flooding in several areas of the seaside resort city.

The Sawang Boriboon Thamsatharn Foundation was alerted to the accident on Soi Map Yalia 45 in Nong Prue sub-district at about 5pm and an emergency rescue team was immediately dispatched to the scene.

One Thai witness, 17-year-old ‘Thikorn’, claimed that he saw three foreign tourists walking together across a bridge when two of them fell into the swollen waterway. He claimed that he managed to grab one of them and pulled him to safety, while the other was washed away by the strong currents.

Despite searching throughout the night, the rescue team could not find the missing tourist, whose nationality and name were not known at the time of this report.

Heavy downpours caused flooding in several low-lying areas in Pattaya, namely the Pattaya 3 road, which runs parallel to the rail tracks, Soi Bua Khao and Walking Street.

Meanwhile, the Meteorological Department forecasts that, in the next 24 hours, eastern provinces, the southern part of the northeast and Bangkok will be lashed by heavy rain. Flash floods, water runoffs, river and canal overflows, especially at the bases of mountains and in low-lying areas can occur and people should be aware of the risk.

Rough seas and strong winds are predicted in the Gulf and the Andaman Sea and seafarers are advised to avoid navigating in stormy areas.