CHON BURI: Two people drowned while a third smashed a window and escaped alive when a car plunged from a ferry pier into the sea in Sattahip district in the early hours of Wednesday.
The incident happened at Chuk Samet ferry pier at Sattahip naval base in tambon Samae Sarn at 1.56am.
Two women were trapped in the car, including the driver. A male passenger made it to safety and raised the alarm. Police, divers and rescue workers were rushed to the pier.
The car was found in water 15 metres deep. Divers retrieved the bodies of the two women. A mobile crane later hauled the car from the sea.
The incident was recorded by a security camera on a nearby trawler. Marks left by the car's plunge into the sea were found at a wave barrier near the pier ramp.
Survivor Raveeparb Maksara, 20, told police he and three women friends travelled in the car, a Toyota Cross, from Bangkok to visit Sattahip district. They dropped off one of the women in Samae Sarn area.
The woman driver then became lost, and in the dark they somehow arrived at the ferry pier. They were all arguing about being lost when the car ran off the pier and into the sea.
Mr Raveeparb said he managed to overcome his shock and terror and used his feet to break a car window and escape. His two friends were trapped in the car. He immediately sought help from police.
The dead women were identified as Hanuel Khim, 22, and Natthawan Boon-ard, 23. Their bodies were sent to the Police General Hospital for post-mortem examination.
The police investigation was continuing.
Divers and reacue workers arrive at Chuk Samet ferry pier in Sattahip district, Chon Buri, where a car had plunged into the sea with two women trapped inside it. Their bodies were later retrieved from the sea. (Photo: Chaiyot Pupattanapong)
The car after it was hauled the sea at the pier in Sattahip district, Chon Buri. (Photo: Chaiyot Pupattanapong)