Nakhon luang: A tugboat carrying goods capsized in the middle of the Pa Sak River. The boat owner’s 7-month pregnant wife is missing. Officials are searching for her.
According to Thai News Agency, Nakhon Luang Police Station officers received a report of a cargo tugboat capsizing in the middle of the Pa Sak River, resulting in injuries and missing persons at a company’s pier in Village No. 3, Pak Chan Subdistrict, Nakhon Luang District, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province. At the scene, they found a tugboat sunk in the middle of the river. Officials used ropes to tie the boat up and coordinated with five other tugboats to help pull the sunken vessel closer to shore to temporarily clear the shipping route. A dive team from the Putthaisawan Foundation searched for the missing woman, identified as Ms. Pennaphaphon, 21 years old, seven months pregnant, and the wife of the boat owner involved in the incident.
Mr. Sirawut, 24, the tugboat driver and husband of the missing woman, said that when he arrived at the scene of the accident, he lost control, causing the boat to tilt and capsize in the middle of the river. He was able to jump out of the boat in time, but his wife was at the back of the boat and was lost in the current.
It took divers over six hours to recover a sunken boat from the Pa Sak River, but there was still no sign of his seven-month pregnant wife. They deployed divers from the sinking site, following the currents to a depth of 15 meters, and patrol boats were deployed to search both sides of the Pa Sak River. The Marine Department, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Office, has announced a temporary closure of the waterway to all vessels, allowing officials to safely carry out their search and recovery mission.
The cause is likely due to the pulling force from the motorboat in front, which was towing the cargo pontoon at high speed, reaching a bend in the river. The motorboat had to accelerate, but the boat had no brakes. This caused the sternboat to turn to use the stern to pull the boat. However, during the turning, the rope may have become tight and the boat capsized rapidly. Police will investigate and thoroughly investigate to determine the true cause.
This morning, officials from the Ayutthaya United Hearts Association and the Ayutthaya Rescue Unit deployed over 10 flat-bottomed boats to search the Pa Sak River, a distance of over 13 kilometers, from the scene of the accident to the intersection at Wat Phanan Choeng Worawihan. The missing woman has not yet been found. Relatives lit incense sticks to pray to the spirits, local spirits, and the Goddess of the River, praying for her to be found and returned to her family in peace.