Search teams in Thong Pha Phum district, Kanchanaburi, recovered the bodies of a mother and her daughter on September 28, after floodwaters swept their pickup truck off a road on September 27. The incident occurred around 5 p.m. on a road in Chalae subdistrict when fast-moving floodwaters carried the vehicle into the current. While two men were rescued by residents and officials at the scene, the 55-year-old mother, Tong, and her 12-year-old daughter were swept away.
A joint search operation commenced on September 27, involving district officials, national park personnel, police, rescue volunteers, and residents. The search continued until approximately 10 p.m. before being suspended due to darkness and the dangerous strength of the runoff. The operation resumed the following morning, September 28, with the establishment of a temporary command center in the area.
The remote terrain posed significant challenges to the operation, with a lack of mobile phone and internet signals necessitating reliance on radio communication. Searchers meticulously followed the path of the floodwater throughout the day. Around 3 p.m., teams searching downstream discovered the 12-year-old girl’s body, lying on her back beneath tree branches approximately 300 meters from the point where the pickup had been swept away.
The recovery of the child’s body was a difficult process, requiring crews to navigate challenging terrain and flowing water. Search personnel then transported her body back to the temporary command center. The search for the mother, Tong, continued. At approximately 6 p.m., her body was found about 10 meters from where her daughter had been located. Tong was also found lying on her back beneath a large tree branch, having been swept approximately 300 meters from the initial incident site. Crews worked to clear debris and branches before transporting her body.
Following the recovery of both bodies, investigators from Thong Pha Phum Police Station and doctors from Thong Pha Phum Hospital were alerted. Rescue workers then transported the mother and daughter to Thong Pha Phum Hospital for post-mortem examinations to ascertain the cause of death. At 1:30 a.m. on September 29, officials transferred both bodies to the family home in Chalae subdistrict for religious rites.