PATTAYA, CHONBURI – A 32-year-old Laotian man died when an elevator car plummeted onto him in an abandoned four-star hotel, his body found beneath the heavy load in the flooded shaft as police investigate the cause of the accident.
Tödlicher Aufzugsturz im Erdgeschoss
On June 9, an anonymous caller alerted the Sawang Boriboon Foundation rescue services. When rescuers called back, no one answered. Initially, no one was present at the scene.
Volunteers searched the elevator shaft of the vacant hotel on Soi Yume and discovered the deceased. Rescue teams found the man lying under the car in the water.
Ãœber zwei Stunden Bergung mit Spezialtechnik
The elevator car, weighing at least 500 kilograms, required heavy lifting equipment for its retrieval. Rescue teams in Pattaya worked for over two hours to recover the body.
A preliminary examination revealed that the 32-year-old, identified as Kanthawisak Wongphuthon, died in the accident. Documents found in a black shoulder bag led to his identification.
Hotel seit der Pandemie menschenleer – fast
The former luxury hotel, boasting over 300 rooms, has been closed since the COVID-19 outbreak. Caretakers indicated that the building had been unoccupied for years, but homeless individuals occasionally sought shelter within.
Items were repeatedly stolen from the premises. The dilapidated elevator remained in its shaft despite the hotel’s closure. “The facility is decaying, but no one removed the lift,” a caretaker stated.
Freund des Opfers spurlos verschwunden
Locals informed the police that the Laotian man had been living in the hotel with a dark-skinned man who had short-cropped hair. This companion disappeared without a trace after the incident.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Itthikon Saikrathok of the Pattaya City Police Station is leading the search for the companion. He is not considered a suspect but is sought for questioning regarding the sequence of events leading to the fatal accident.
Aufzugskabel intakt, aber Technik verrottet
Investigators found the elevator’s steel cables intact. However, the entire hoisting mechanism was severely degraded, as determined by police and forensic teams.
A tentative theory suggests the victim may have entered the flooded pit to wash himself. In the process, he might have inadvertently triggered the aged mechanism, causing the car to fall.
Forensik-Team untersucht alle Beweise
Forensic technicians from the Chonburi Crime Scene Investigation Unit 2 meticulously documented the accident site. The final cause of death will only be determined after a comprehensive analysis of all evidence.
Authorities emphasize that the current explanation remains a hypothesis. Investigations into the exact circumstances of the fatal elevator crash are ongoing.