Jet-Ski Passenger Missing after Falling into Samui Sea

PHOTO: Wat Plai Laem Rescue Team

Samui Island, Surat Thani –

An 18 year-old jet-ski staffer has gone missing after he sat behind a foreign customer before falling into the sea near Samui Island on Friday (June 28th).

The Bophut Police told the Phuket Express that they were notified that Mr. Thanatip Sompaen, 18, from Nakhon Si Thammarat, had gone missing near the Chaweng Beach. A search was launched until midnight that same day but failed to find him. The search was launched again on Saturday (June 29th) with a drone searching above the sea, jet-ski operators in the sea, and rescue workers walking along the beaches but have still been unable to find him.

An unidentified jet-ski operator told police that a foreign man rented the jet-ski. The foreign man drove the jet-ski with Mr. Thanatip sitting behind. When they were about 300 meters from the beach, the jet-ski hit a wave before Thanatip fell into the sea. The foreign tourist drove back to the beach and informed the jet-ski operator of the accident.

The foreign tourist has not been identified by police, who only said that he is cooperating with investigators.

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Goongnang Suksawat
Goong Nang is a News Translator who has worked professionally for multiple news organizations in Thailand for many years and has worked with The Pattaya News for five years. Specializes primarily in local news for Phuket, Pattaya, and also some national news, with emphasis on translation between Thai to English and working as an intermediary between reporters and English-speaking writers. Originally from Nakhon Si Thammarat, but lives in Phuket and Krabi except when commuting between the three.