Body of 29-Year-Old Found in Bangpakong River After Six-Hour Search
Rescue divers recovered the body of a 29-year-old man from the Bangpakong River in Chachoengsao after a six-hour search operation at 9 meters depth, with witnesses suggesting he may have jumped from a bridge.
Chachoengsao — After a six-hour search operation, rescue workers recovered the body of 29-year-old Thana (a pseudonym) who drowned in the Bangpakong River at a depth of 9 meters. His wife wept as she said her final goodbye, telling him they were finally going home together.
On August 6, Deputy Inspector Chonmanaj Riyapa from Muang Chachoengsao Police Station, accompanied by a forensic pathologist from Buddhasothorn Hospital, examined the area beneath the Baramee Sothorn Bridge. Rescue units had been searching continuously since around 11:30 a.m., using three motorboats equipped with sonar, drone teams surveying the water surface and riverbanks, and divers searching the incident area despite strong currents that made the operation extremely difficult.
Sonar eventually detected a suspicious object about 30 meters downstream from the bridge. Two divers descended to a depth of 9 meters and confirmed it was the missing person's body. Officers tied a rope around the deceased's ankle and pulled the body from the riverbed, placing it in a body bag before bringing it to shore for investigation and autopsy.
The victim's relatives revealed that Thana had recently moved from Songkhla Province to stay with his wife in Nakhon Nayok for three months. Three days earlier he had ridden his motorcycle to Chonburi to visit them and seemed cheerful, only mentioning homesickness and wanting to return to Songkhla. His relatives promised to arrange transport home.
This morning, however, he rode out from their house, leaving laundry in the washing machine and all his belongings behind. His wife, who had traveled from Nakhon Nayok, said he often expressed wanting to return home but she did not know why he made this decision, as he was normally a cheerful person.
When rescue workers placed the body in the rescue truck, his wife asked to open the tailgate and tearfully said her goodbye: "We're going home now. I'll make merit for you." A rescue volunteer named Siripong Sonchalerm, whose actions were captured on video, attempted CPR and explained that when he arrived at the scene, he tried to talk the man down while waiting for support, but the man did not respond and remained silent. When the man climbed over the concrete railing toward the steel railing, the volunteer tried to grab him and managed to hold his hand, but the man wrenched free and jumped into the river, leaving the volunteer deeply regretful.
The body has been temporarily placed at Buddhasothorn Hospital awaiting the victim's parents, who are traveling from Songkhla Province. Rescue units will then transport the body back to Songkhla for funeral rites.
