One Man Survives Boat Sinking, Another Missing in Ayutthaya
A leaking two‑part boat sank in the Little River of Ayutthaya on October 4, 2026, leaving one man rescued and another missing. Rescue teams, including police and volunteers, searched the swift‑flowing waters near Wat Chang Noi. The survivor said his friend refused to abandon the vessel and disappeared as it sank.
The two‑part boat began leaking in the Little River of Ayutthaya, carrying two middle‑aged men who clung to the vessel as it sank; one man survived while the other disappeared. Rescue teams from Bang Sai police and the Ruamkatanyu Foundation launched an urgent search after receiving the report on October 4, 2026, that the boat had sunk mid‑river with both men aboard, one of whom was pulled ashore and the other remained missing. The accident site near Wat Chang Noi showed strong currents and high water levels.
Local fisherman Yuttaphong, 49, said he saw the boat travel downriver, heard its engine, then silence in the middle of the river, followed by two or three shouts for help that were too far away to assist, before spotting the two men treading water.
Survivor Komut, 49, recounted that he and his friend had set out to reach a yellow buoy in the river when the boat started leaking rapidly, water rushing in at the stern and causing the vessel to sink bow‑first. He urged his friend to abandon the boat and swim to the buoy, but the friend refused, insisting on staying with the craft. Komut swam ashore, returned to help persuade his friend, and together they struggled to keep the boat afloat until he could no longer continue and swam to safety, watching his friend disappear as he clung to the sinking boat.
Komut added that they had taken the old boat out to visit a monk before heading home, noting the vessel’s age likely contributed to its deterioration, allowing water entering the stern to gradually pull it under.
The sister‑in‑law of the missing man, Bu‑song, 64, explained that the two‑part boat had been taken out to test its engine after a year of disuse, in preparation for flood season, with plans to later use it to visit her parents in Bang Sai’s Baepang area. She said her companion managed to jump free and reach shore, while the missing man, identified as former soldier Pramekh Phonsri, about 50, from Lopburi province, refused to leave the boat and vanished in the river. After reaching shore, the survivor informed the missing man’s family by motorcycle, causing his partner to faint from shock, while authorities continue the search for the missing man.
