NAKHON SAWAN – Rescue workers are continuing to search the Chao Phraya River today, with teams holding out hope for a miracle after a young rescuer worker vanished underwater during an operation. He went missing while helping recover a pickup truck that rolled into the river after the handbrake was left off. The vehicle plunged into water about 18 metres deep. So far, only the rescuer has disappeared.
Rescue workers and divers from several units have joined the search for a member of the Chao Pho Guan Yu Rescue Foundation in Nakhon Sawan. He went missing during a dive to find a vehicle that fell into the Chao Phraya, near Moo 3, Yang Khao, Phayuha Khiri district, Nakhon Sawan. The incident occurred on the night of 3 October. The search continued until just after 11 pm on 4 October, but there was no sign of him.
Rescue Workers Continue Search
The case began when Ms Pani, 39, a resident, parked her bronze Isuzu D-Max cab, registration บษ 7117 Nakhon Sawan, in front of her home on the night of 2 October. She forgot to apply the handbrake, and the truck rolled forward, smashed through the front gate, then shot into the Chao Phraya River. She called for rescue support.
More than ten rescuers joined the operation. They rotated in dive teams of four, each round lasting 10 to 15 minutes. During the second round, something went wrong. Only three divers surfaced. One was missing, identified as Mr Rungroj Rakkhetwit, a working-age rescuer. Locals and officials gathered to support his family as the search carried on.
Sutas Makham, one of the team, said the water at the site is more than 18 metres deep, with a fierce current. This made the search very hard. He stressed that strict safety measures were followed and that no one acted carelessly.
Rescue Workers Recover Isuzu D-Max
Pol Lt Gen Damrong Phetphong, deputy chairman of the Chao Pho Guan Yu Rescue Foundation in Nakhon Sawan, said teams had been called in from several areas. Units from Nakhon Sawan, the Ruamkatanyu Foundation and the Poh Teck Tung Foundation, which had been working on flood relief in the North, came to assist.
Sonar equipment was provided by the Chachoengsao Rescue Foundation to scan the riverbed and mark likely points. Divers then worked in a grid, covering the area carefully. The depth, the powerful flow and intermittent rain hampered the effort.
One rescuer said the sonar first picked up an image believed to be the missing man. The reading showed a curled body at a depth of 12 metres. When they planned a recovery and scanned again, the image was gone.
The team believes the current may have swept the body away, or it could have snagged on the submerged truck nearby. Two winch trucks were brought in to haul the vehicle out.
Lifting the pickup was difficult and took more than four hours. The truck was finally brought to shore, badly damaged, with no sign of the missing rescuer attached to it. The search was paused at 11 pm, with plans to resume efforts to find Mr Rungroj.
