KRABI, THAILAND – A 48-year-old tourist from South Korea drowned while swimming with his child off Railay Beach near Krabi.
Father drowned while swimming with child
The accident occurred on 22 February at around 3 p.m. as the man was in the sea with his child off the popular Railay Beach. Rangers from the Hat Noppharat Thara–Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park were alerted, pulled the unconscious man from the water and handed him over to an arriving medical team.
Resuscitation attempt and transfer to hospital
Rescuers transported the tourist by boat via Nam Mao Pier to the mainland for treatment at Wattanapat Hospital. Medical personnel performed CPR throughout the crossing, but the man died before reaching the hospital.
Family background and police information
Police stated that the victim, identified as Lee Juhyun, had entered Thailand with his wife and child under a 60-day visa-exemption scheme. The family had first checked into a hotel in Ao Nang subdistrict and then travelled by longtail boat to Railay Beach, where the incident occurred.
Autopsy findings and family response
According to authorities, an autopsy confirmed drowning as the cause of death for the 48-year-old. The victim’s wife raised no further objections to the determined cause, and the body was being kept at Krabi Hospital until arrangements were made to repatriate it to South Korea for funeral ceremonies.
Eyewitness questions response time
A foreign eyewitness said in a comment on a report by broadcaster Workpoint News that he and his family had observed the incident from the beginning and believed that medical personnel arrived only about 15 minutes after the man was brought ashore.
“Beachgoers and several rangers helped pull the man from the sea and started resuscitation attempts, but despite these efforts Lee could not be saved.”
said the unnamed eyewitness.
Previous serious incident at Railay Beach
Railay Beach had already been the scene of another serious incident in January, when a British tourist was injured in a paragliding accident. His canopy became entangled in rocks and trees on a cliff, leaving him hanging around 60 to 70 metres above the ground before rangers and rescue workers freed him and took him to hospital with a leg injury.
Recent drowning off Jomtien Beach
Among the most recent drowning cases in the wider region was an incident on 9 February, when the body of a foreign woman was found in the sea off Jomtien Beach near Pattaya. A local report suggested she might have been Russian, but with no documents recovered and the exact cause of death still under investigation, her identity remained unclear.