PATTAYA, THAILAND – A 62-year-old British national drowned on Tuesday evening at Pattaya Beach after entering the sea under heavy alcohol influence, according to local authorities.
Rescue teams found man unconscious on the shore
Emergency services received the call at around 6:30 p.m. Police and paramedics were dispatched to the stretch of beach in front of a well-known shopping mall on Pattaya’s beach road, where the tourist was found lying unconscious at the water’s edge.
Despite immediate resuscitation efforts at the scene and further attempts in the ambulance, Pattaya Hospital could only pronounce the man dead. He was identified as Gerald Horace Crawford, a 62-year-old British citizen.
Witness had warned him not to go into the water
A rental operator for water sports equipment stated that he had watched the Briton on the beach for some time. According to his account, the man was heavily under the influence of alcohol and had first rested on the sand.
The witness said he approached Crawford and urged him not to go into the sea. The tourist ignored the warning and entered the water, soon getting into difficulty. The witness and companions pulled him back to shore but were unable to revive him.
Police rule out foul play
Officers collected the deceased’s identification documents and valuables at the scene. Based on the current state of the investigation, there were no indications of a crime, and police classified the case accordingly.
The official cause of death was recorded as drowning under the influence of alcohol. The British embassy was informed of the fatality, and relatives were being notified through the responsible consular channels.
Second swimming death in Pattaya within days
Just a few days earlier, a Chinese tourist had died in a swimming pool at a residential complex in Jomtien. The two incidents raised questions about supervision at beach areas and in private bathing facilities in and around Pattaya.
The Pattaya tourism authority regularly highlighted the dangers of swimming under the influence of alcohol. There were no lifeguards stationed on public beach sections, leaving responsibility for safety with the bathers themselves.
Alcohol and the sea: a deadly combination
Statistics from Thai health authorities showed that alcohol played a role in a significant proportion of annual swimming accidents involving foreigners. Reports of such incidents increased particularly during the high season in tourism hotspots like Pattaya, Phuket and Koh Samui.
Authorities and beach residents appealed to tourists to refrain from swimming after drinking alcohol. Warning signs about rough seas were also regularly ignored by visitors, despite repeated safety messages.