Elderly British National Dies Swimming off Pattaya Beach

Published : October 10, 2010 :: 11:10:35 [ 3,504 views ]

An elderly British man has died while swimming in the Pattaya Bay on Saturday afternoon. The man, pulled from the water by fellow tourists, is thought to have died of natural causes.

Pattaya, the 9^th of October 2010 [PDN]: At approximately 2:30pm on Saturday, Sawang Boriboon Foundation rescue services were notified of a foreign mans death in the Pattaya Bay, opposite Soi 13/2 (Soi Post Office).

The incident was immediately reported to Lieutenant Colonel Norawitch Jullawanit (Pattaya Police Investigator) who attended the scene to ascertain the circumstances surrounding the man’s death.

Upon interviewing Mr. Bunjert Keanpirom [40], a local beach bed operator, officers found that the man, known only as Mr. Doug (70-80 years of age), was a regular customer of the beach bed operators and had rented a chair at approximately 2:00pm on Saturday.

According to Mr. Keanpirom’s statement, Mr. Doug had gone out for a swim in the sea shortly after renting the beach bed, before he observed a group of people carrying him into shore where he later died.

A witness to the incident, Mrs. Nisa Intarares [55], stated that she had known Mr. Doug for quite a while as they both spent considerable time relaxing along the Pattaya Beach. She explained that Mr. Doug would frequently visit the beach in the afternoon, often swam in the Pattaya Bay for short periods.

Along with minimal personal effects and information from Mrs. Intarares, officers ascertained that Mr. Doug was a British national and had been staying in a small hotel/guesthouse in Soi Buakow (South/Central Pattaya).

At present, officers speculate that Mr. Doug had died of natural causes while swimming in the sea. However, a post-mortem examination will be conducted. Police will now seek to identify his full name and personal details before informing the British Embassy of his passing.