Five people died after they entered a wastewater treatment pond owned by CPF Food Products Co in Bang Na district of Bangkok late Friday morning. Four of them had been trying to help a visiting student who had fallen into the pond.
Rescue workers rushed to the poultry-processing company on Bang Na-Trat Soi 20 about 11am after being informed that people had fallen unconscious into the 4-metre-deep pond.
Initially it was reported that a maintenance worker who had climbed down a ladder into the pond fell unconscious because of lack of oxygen. Four others who tried to help him suffered the same fate.
It later emerged the incident happened while two students were visiting the plant and one fell into the pond. Four company employees tried unsuccessfully to rescue him, at the cost of their own lives.
Three men and two women died. Four of them were CPF employees identified as Pornchai Boonban, 40; Charnchai Phanthunakhin, 42; Ratchanok Saenthaweesoon, 24; and Chatree Seethandorn.
The other was Panyathika Tasuwan, 23, a fifth-year student from the Faculty of Veterinary Science at Chulalongkorn University.
Parisothat Poonnaput, CPF vice-president for personnel, said one of two students accidentally fell into the pond and company staff tried to save her. He promised the company would pay compensation for all the losses.
He said there was no surveillance camera in the area and the pond was normally closed. Police have yet to find out how the student fell into the pond.