Teenager drowns while trying to save monkey in Phuket
published : 4 Oct 2018 at 13:08
writer: Gregory Morrissey
ORIGINAL SOURCE/WRITER: Online Reporters
A young worker from Myanmar drowned while he and two friends were trying to save a monkey which had fallen into a swamp near an old tin mine in Muang district, Phuket.
Local police, divers from Phuket marine police and rescue workers were deployed to the mine on Soi Koh Kaew 12 at around 6.30pm on Wednesday after being alerted that someone had drowned in the swamp, Pol Lt Sirinya Khlaisombat, duty officer at Muang police station, said.
The divers took about 15 minutes to retrieve the young man's body from the swamp, which is about 10 metres deep. He was identified as 18-year-old Set Pai So, from Myanmar. His father, relatives and friends burst into tears as the body was brought to shore.
The young man's father, Yu May Ou, 38, told police they were working near the swamp at the old tin mine. His son saw a monkey fall into the swamp at around 5pm on Wednesday and called two friends, identified only as Man and Aou, to go with him and help the monkey.
They jumped into the swamp to reach the drowning animal. Man swam most vigorously and took the monkey to shore, leaving Set Pai So and the other friend swimming behind.
Set Pai So became exhausted and started floundering. His friend swam alongside and tried unsuccessfully to help.
"Set Pai So drowned," the grieving father said, heartbroken that he saw it happen and was unable to help his son as he could not swim.
Police took the body to Vachira Hospital for a post-mortem examination before it is returned to the family for religious rites.
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Vocabulary
- alert: to tell someone in authority about a danger or problem so that they can deal with it - เตือนให้ระวัง
- deploy: (of soldiers, police, etc.) to put in place ready for action - ส่งทหารตำรวจเข้าประจำการ
- drown: to sink under water and die - จมน้ำ
- flounder: to struggle to move or get somewhere; to struggle to know what to do or say - ตะเกียกตะกาย
- mine: a deep hole or holes under the ground where minerals such as coal, gold, etc. are dug - เหมืองแร่
- post-mortem: a medical examination of the body of a dead person in order to find out how they died - การชันสูตร
- retrieve: to recover; to get something back, especially something that is not easy to find - ได้กลับคืนมา
- rites (noun): traditional ceremonies, especially a religious ones - พิธีกรรม (พระราชพิธี)
- swamp: an area of land covered by water where trees and plants grow - หนองน้ำ
- vigorously (adverb): in a very active, determined or energetic way - อย่างคล่องแคล่ว, อย่างกระฉับกระเฉง
