Recovery set for 2 Thais' bodies in California

Recovery set for 2 Thais' bodies in California

A US-based Thai newspaper has been covering the case, and has obtained photos taken with a telescopic lens of the smashed-up car.
A US-based Thai newspaper has been covering the case, and has obtained photos taken with a telescopic lens of the smashed-up car.

Work will begin Wednesday to recover the bodies of two Thais who were in a car that hurtled over a cliff on their way to Kings Canyon National Park in California two weeks ago, according to the Thai Consul in Los Angeles.

Consul-General Thanee Sangrat told Jor Sor 100 Radio that US authorities have inspected the scene where the accident took place and confirmed the bodies of the two Thai students were inside the vehicle when it crashed.

He said the wreckage of the car, discovered last Tuesday (US time), is expected to be salvaged Wednesday, depending on the weather conditions. The pair went missing on July 26.

It is believed that Thiwadee Saengsuriyarit, 24 and her male friend Pakkapol Chairattanasongporn, 28, also known as Golf, were driving along California State Route 180 on their way to the national park when their vehicle careened off a 150-metre high precipice and fell into the river below, said Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Busadee Santipitaks.

"The water is very fast-running and the geography is inaccessible, so authorities have not been able to investigate the area where the vehicle fell," Ms Busadee said.

Thiwadee was studying for a master's degree in environmental studies at the University of South Florida.

The Thai consulate in LA also reported Thiwadee's parents arrived in Los Angeles on Saturday and were taken to the scene of the accident by the Thai consul-general.

Previously, Thiwarat Saengsuriyarit, Thiwadee's elder sister, said Thai associations in the US had pressured local authorities to work quickly to retrieve the bodies.

Supin Chairattanasongporn, Pakkapol's mother, echoed similar sentiments.

Many Thais have complained on social media about the delay.

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