KANCHANABURI, THAILAND – A river holiday in a floating raft house turned into a near‑tragedy when a bathroom floor collapsed and hurled a woman into the Kwai Noi River.
Bathroom floor collapses into the river
A local family had rented two raft-house cabins on the water in Sai Yok when the incident occurred around 9 p.m. The 49-year-old mother went to use the toilet when the structure suddenly gave way with a loud crash.
“The wooden floor just broke under her. The entire toilet fell into the river,”
said Surat Horhom, her son-in-law, in an online post.
Relatives pull victim from icy current
The woman ended up with her upper body on the concrete edge of the collapsing platform while her legs were already in the cold, fast-flowing Kwai Noi. Her desperate screams alerted relatives, who broke down the bathroom door and pulled her from the water at the last moment. She was terrified but suffered only minor physical injuries, and the family immediately notified resort staff.
Resort offers room change and partial discount
The operators moved the family to another room, but they showed little apparent concern for the guest’s condition, according to the relatives.
“The owner stayed silent. He did not ask about her condition,”
said the son-in-law online. The next morning, management offered only a 50 percent discount on the night’s stay and, when asked about further responsibility, suggested it was merely a “simple fall.”
Family alleges accusation of lying for compensation
Tensions rose further when staff hinted that some guests might fake accidents to obtain money.
“They implied we were lying to get compensation,”
said the angry family. They subsequently filed a complaint with Sai Yok police, where the case was recorded as “injury caused by the collapse of a bathroom floor.”
Holiday plans cancelled amid safety fears
The family from Kanchanaburi cancelled their planned New Year’s stay in another raft house and said they were deeply unsettled by the experience.
“There are good and safe operators. But please be careful! If a child or an elderly person had been there, they would not have survived,”
warned the son-in-law. He urged all operators to take safety checks seriously, adding,
“A human life is valuable. Just because she escaped with minor injuries does not mean it was nothing.”
Online calls to name the resort
Outrage spread on social networks, where many users expressed solidarity with the family and urged them to reveal the name of the raft-house resort. Thai authorities now had to examine whether to investigate the operator for possible negligent endangerment. For the family, the shock remained—along with what they described as a large measure of luck.