Two Brothers Drown in Canal While Buying Sand Bags
Two brothers drowned in Samrong Canal near Bangkok on September 25 while transporting sand bags to build a flood barrier at their home; their boat capsized under a bridge when the operator reduced throttle.
A heartbreaking incident unfolded at 9:40 a.m. on September 25 when Deputy Sergeant Major Chatchapong Bunyaratana of Bang Pli Police Station, Samut Prakan Province, received a report of a capsized boat with two people missing in the Samrong Canal beneath the Wat Bang Pli Yai Bridge in Bang Pli Subdistrict. Rescue divers from the Paotektung Foundation were mobilized along with boats from the Bang Pli Subdistrict Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Office and an ambulance. Rescue personnel began searching and located the first body within approximately 30 minutes. After continuing the search with no sign of the second victim, professional divers from the Paotektung Foundation were called in and recovered the second body about 20 minutes later, found not far from the first. A flat-bottomed boat with a four-stroke Yamaha engine was also recovered from the canal bottom.
The two victims were identified as brothers Suphakorn, 20, and Kraphop, 17, residents of Bang Pli District, Samut Prakan Province. The devastated mother explained that her sons had left home to purchase 20 bags of sand to construct a flood barrier around their residence near the incident site, as heavy rain had been falling continuously, causing water levels in the canal to rise and seep into their home.
Witness Mongkol Klom Loi, 61, provided crucial details about what transpired. He saw the two young brothers load sand onto a small flat-bottomed boat with a compact engine. Initially, the boat's bow rode high as the engine powered forward, but when the vessel passed under the bridge, the operator reduced throttle, allowing the sand's weight to press down and submerge the bow rapidly. The boat sank within seconds. After the boat went under, both brothers struggled in the water and called for help, attempting to grab a floating fuel tank for buoyancy and shouting to people on the bridge. A good Samaritan attempted to bring a rowboat to assist, but the tragedy unfolded too quickly—both victims sank within two minutes before their eyes. Witness accounts indicate that the incident site was on the opposite bank at a considerable distance, strong currents made a rescue jump too dangerous, leaving only the possibility of calling for help. Police are investigating the exact cause of the capsizing, and the bodies have been sent to Rama III Chakri Naruebodindra Hospital for autopsy.
