Two tourists drown in Phuket beach tragedies

Yesterday, Phuket's beaches witnessed two tragic drowning incidents, claiming the lives of a Hong Kong father at Patong Beach and a Kazakh tourist at Karon Beach.

Drowning Incident at Patong Beach

On July 31, at Patong Beach, Che Ka Fai, also known as Andy, a 52-year-old Chinese national from Hong Kong, was found unconscious and unresponsive in the water. Police Lieutenant Colonel Phongpipat Khamchomphu, Deputy Inspector (Investigation) at Patong Police, confirmed the incident.

Che's 15-year-old son, Che Ho Wa, shared that they had been swimming around 11 am in an area marked as safe by yellow-red flags. However, they drifted into a restricted zone marked with red no-swimming flags. The son, about 50 meters away from his struggling father, tried to assist but couldn't reach him and called for help.

A lifeguard rescued Che and brought him to the beach, where CPR was administered until an emergency medical unit arrived. Despite continued efforts on the way to Patong Hospital, Che was pronounced dead at 12:38 pm. The Chinese Consul in Phuket has been notified of the incident.

Drowning Incident at Karon Beach

In a separate incident at Karon Beach, 57-year-old Kazakh tourist Yevgeniy Sapogov drowned after being found unconscious and unresponsive in the water. Deputy Superintendent (Investigation) Pol. Col. Teerawat Yodtor reported being informed of the death at 2:20 pm. Sapogov, who had arrived in Phuket on holiday with his family, faced trouble while swimming halfway along the beach on their first day.

Efforts to revive him with CPR were made, but he was pronounced dead upon arrival at Chalong Hospital. Sapogov's body has been transported to the Vachira Phuket Hospital morgue, and the Kazakh embassy has been informed of the incident, according to Phuket News.

Related Incident

In related news, a 27-year-old Indian tourist drowned at Surin Beach on July 24 after getting entangled in a rip current during an early morning swim with friends.

Conclusion

These tragic incidents highlight the dangers present at Phuket's beaches, even in designated safe swimming areas. Tourists are urged to remain vigilant and heed all warning flags and lifeguard instructions to ensure their safety while enjoying the island's beautiful beaches.