Pattaya —
Pattaya Police have arrested a speedboat driver accused of crashing into a Thai woman and a Russian tourist who were swimming in the designated swimming area in the sea off Koh Larn on September 25th. The collision resulted in the woman’s death, and the Russian man’s disappearance, who has now been confirmed deceased.
First our previous story:
Now for our update:
The tragic incident unfolded near sunset near Tien Beach off Koh Larn, Naklua sub-district, Banglamung district, Chonburi province on September 25th, 2023. The woman and the Russian tourist were spotted swimming in the designated swimming area off the island when they were both struck by a speedboat. The driver briefly stopped to look and quickly sped away, said shocked witnesses.
The body of the woman was found and recovered shortly after the collision by rescue workers. She was Thai and was only 20 years old. Her name has been withheld by The Pattaya News as per standard editorial policy pending her family’s permission.
Meanwhile, a search operation was launched immediately to find the Russian man spotted swimming with the woman. The Sawang Boriboon rescue team spent nearly three hours the day he went missing searching, before they were forced to stop by strong underwater currents. The missing tourist was publicly identified by Pattaya police as Mr. Enrike Rakhman, 22. He appeared to be the Thai woman’s boyfriend according to the police. We have posted his name after Pattaya police confirmed the family had been notified of the tragic incident.
Rakhman entered Thailand on August 11th, 2023. Prior to the incident, police said he and his girlfriend had checked out from a resort located on Koh Larn in the Na Baan area. They had rented a motorbike and were enjoying their time at Tien Beach before the unfortunate collision with a speedboat caused Rakhman to disappear and his girlfriend to lose her life.
A day after the incident (September 26th), Pattaya Police arrested the suspected driver of the speedboat, Mr. Thawatchai Chompupuang. The young 19-year-old man still denies crashing into the couple. He is facing charges of reckless actions resulting in the death of others.
A search operation, consisting of 10 rescue workers and 2 speedboats, resumed today to find Rakhman.
According to the latest update, the body of Rakhman was found at 7:30 AM today, September 27th, 2023 on the northern side of Tien Beach. He was floating face down and stuck between rocks at a distance of approximately 60-70 meters from the collision scene.
The victim was wearing only blue swim trunks and had two large injuries on the back, one on the left shoulder and one on his back, likely caused by the boat’s propeller. He had been deceased for at least 24 hours, rescue workers predicted.
The police instructed the rescue team to recover the body from the water for further examination. An unidentified relative of the victim reportedly confirmed that the body belonged to Rakhman.
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