Rescue Teams Search for Missing 85-Year-Old Woman in Ayutthaya River

An 85-year-old woman who regularly collected plastic bottles from the Chao Phraya River in Ayutthaya went missing on July 18, 2025. Officials from the Ayutthaya United Association at Chot Chang reported that the elderly woman fell from her boat and disappeared in the river at Ratchakram subdistrict, Bang Thai district, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya province while collecting plastic bottles. Water rescue teams were immediately dispatched to search.

When they arrived, they found only an orange fiberglass boat floating near the riverbank. The boat was nearly full of plastic bottles and bags she had collected, but the 85-year-old woman was nowhere to be found. Rescue teams coordinated with the Chao Phraya diving team and Ayutthaya rescue units to conduct simultaneous surface and underwater searches, expanding the search area along the river current from afternoon until dusk. However, they found no body and temporarily suspended the search pending further planning.

The fish raft owner reported that the elderly woman was a familiar figure in the community, earning a living by collecting scrap items and plastic bottles from the river daily. He last saw her paddling her boat around noon as usual. When he left to refuel his boat and returned ten minutes later, he found only her empty boat floating on the river. Authorities believe she fell into the water, possibly losing consciousness due to the intense heat and losing her balance. Though her family often warned her about the danger due to their concerns, she would regularly paddle out to collect bottles whenever no one was home, until this tragic incident occurred.