Greek Diplomatic Attaché, Aristea Liapi Killed at Nam Tok Train Station

 

KANCHANABURI – Mrs Aristea Liapi, an Attaché at the Greece Embassy in Bangkok was killed on Wednesday after she fell under a moving train while visiting a popular Thailand tourist region known for inspiring the classic film “The Bridge on the River Kwai”, police said.

Mrs Aristea Liapi, worked as an Attaché at the Greek embassy, died during a family trip to Kanchanaburi, a town in western Thailand famous for its World War II-era bridge spanning the River Kwai and nearby national park.

 

Local police said the accident occurred as the woman dashed to get off a train as it pulled out of a station where her family had already disembarked. During the rush she slipped and fell under the train’s wheels.

“She came with her family. At the train station all of her family disembarked but she was left behind,” Lieutenant Kasan Para of Sai Yok police station said.

He added: “She rushed to get off the train but it was already moving and she fell and got pulled underneath. She died instantly at the scene.”

Kasan said Mrs Aristea Liapi’s body had been taken to Sai Yok district hospital.

Tourists flock to Kanchanaburi to see a bridge spanning the River Kwai, which was constructed by POWs who endured brutal treatment at the hands of their Japanese overlords.

Their experiences building what came to be known as the “Death Railway” was later captured in the 1950s classic movie “The Bridge on the River Kwai”.

Sai Yok, 100km northwest of Kanchanaburi, is the jumping off point for a national park famed for its picturesque waterfalls.