UBON RATCHATHANI, THAILAND – Two young children drowned in a village pond in Ubon Ratchathani province while a third child escaped unharmed and called for help, with authorities ruling out foul play.
Accident at village pond in Tan Sum
The incident took place at a retention reservoir near the village of Ban Hai Jong in Tan Sum district. The children had apparently gone there without any adult supervision. At the spot where the accident occurred, the reservoir was more than three metres deep.
A third boy who witnessed the incident ran into the neighbourhood to ask for help. Villagers rushed to the pond but were no longer able to resuscitate the children.
Rescue teams arrived too late
Emergency responders who had been called to the scene could not provide any effective assistance despite acting immediately. According to witnesses, the police only arrived at the site in the late morning. By that time, relatives had already recovered the children from the water.
Officers examined the location for signs of possible involvement by third parties. The investigation found no indication of foul play; according to the current findings, the case was being treated as an accident.
Children sought relief from summer heat
According to officials and relatives, the children had been looking for a way to cool down in the persistently high temperatures. The distance between their homes and the reservoir was about 500 metres. A relative said the children had been to the spot once before.
During school holidays and periods of extreme heat, the risk of such accidents increased nationwide. Authorities and aid organisations regularly pointed to unsecured bodies of water as a significant hazard.
Official appeals for child supervision
Investigators urged all families not to leave small children unsupervised during the holiday period. Unprotected waters in rural areas posed a serious danger, especially for children without swimming skills.
The Thai drowning prevention programme recorded several hundred deaths from bathing accidents every year, a substantial proportion of them children under the age of ten. Educational campaigns still reached rural regions only insufficiently.
Grief among affected families
The families affected were in shock after the loss. Authorities were supporting the relatives with the formalities following the deaths of the children. Both families came from the same village.
The incident led to renewed calls in the region for better protection of open water bodies near residential areas. It remained unclear whether specific measures would follow.