Korean tourist dead, Indian lady in ICU - separate accidents - Phuket, Thailand Phuke

[DandyDon]

Death of Korean tourist mired in murky Phuket dive company waters

Police have confirmed that they are investigating the death of a Korean tourist who was pulled unconscious from the water while diving near Coral Island, off Phuket’s southeast coast, on Saturday.

Kim Sang Min, 47, had been in the water for just a few minutes when the guide saw him floating on the surface shortly before 10am.

“The tour operator rushed him by speedboat to Chalong Pier, where an ambulance from Vachira Phuket Hospital was waiting,” said Lt Thapanan Akaraguntarakorn of the Phuket Tourist Police.

The ambulance crew administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and a medical team at the hospital continued life-saving efforts, but were unable to revive Mr Kim. He was declared dead at 11:27am.

“[Mr Kim] was diving, not snorkelling,” Capt Patiwat Yodkwan, the Chalong Police officer in charge of the investigation, told the Phuket Gazette this afternoon.

“At this stage we believe the death was most likely an accident. However, we are waiting for the results of a post-mortem examination to confirm the cause of death.”

Marine Police Inspector Chatchai Sakdee confirmed to the Gazette that the Marine Police have no jurisdiction in investigating Mr Kim’s death.

“We are notified of any deaths at sea in the waters off Phuket as a standard procedure. I did hear about the incident, but the Marine Police have yet to be formally notified,” Lt Col Chatchai explained.

“Nonetheless, the primary responsibility for investigating fatal incidents on the water remains with the police station responsible for the area in question – which in this case is the Chalong Police.”

The boat* was chartered out to a tour company in order to provide a combined diving and snorkelling day trip.

“The only person on the boat from our company was the captain. All the other staff were from the company that hired the boat,” a staffer at the company that owned the boat* explained.

The staffer declined to name the “third-party” company that hired the boat, citing legal reasons as the incident is under investigation.

The death of Mr Kim during the day trip on Saturday follows the death of 29-year-old Chinese tourist Ting Hong, who drowned while snorkelling off Racha Yai Island on April 19.

* At the request of the company that owned the boat, the Gazette has removed the name of the dive company and the name of the boat involved in the incident.

Indian diver pulled unconscious from sea near Phi Phi

An Indian woman diving on a day trip near Koh Phi Phi was pulled from the water unconscious on Wednesday and rushed to hospital, where she remains.

Deetti Tirumalaraju, 28, encountered difficulties at about six meters, Phuket Marine Police Inspector Chatchai Sakdee was told.

She was brought to the surface and given first aid on her dive boat, the Mermaid, operated by the All 4 Diving company, said Lt Col Chatchai.

Seeking to get Ms Tirumalaraju to Phuket as fast as possible, the company’s dive staff arranged for a speedboat to pick her up at Koh Kai and rush her to Rassada Pier, where an ambulance from Bangkok Hospital Phuket was waiting.

Ms Tirumalaraju remains unconscious in the hospital’s ICU, said Col Chatchai today.

Hers was the second reported diving accident in Phuket waters in less than a week. Just four days before, Korean tourist Kim Sang Min, 47, died after being pulled unconscious from the water near Coral Island -

 

[Diver71_au]

Has anyone heard anything further regarding the Indian woman ?

 

[ozzydamo]

I have word they are waiting for the Parents to arrive pay their last respects and ok the "plug pull" on the woman. From a reliable source.....living there.

 

[iamrushman]

sad news and tragic incidents........

 

[shariq786]

The Indian lady was from my college and i am confirming that she died (Source College Official NewsLetter). Though i have never been for scuba diving but i have dreams of doing so. whats troubling me is what are the probable reasons for her death? was water contaminated with something?, was there some problem with equipments or safety measures followed?

sad news and tragic incidents........

 

[DandyDon]

The Indian lady was from my college and i am confirming that she died (Source College Official NewsLetter). Though i have never been for scuba diving but i have dreams of doing so. whats troubling me is what are the probable reasons for her death? was water contaminated with something?, was there some problem with equipments or safety measures followed?

There is really no info given in the brief news story. We don't even know if she was trained or on a discover/trust-me dive? Scuba is potentially dangerous, but with safe training and equipment, you can manage it safely. You might need to take extra equipment courses to safeguard against bad gear rentals...??

 

[keller34]

Bad air?

 

[DandyDon]

Bad air?

Why do you ask that? I see no reason to speculate that? It's always a possibility unless you test before diving, and few do - but not a very common occurrence.

 

[keller34]

And how often is air tested before by dive ops in a different country? Just a question of a possible cause because it has happened before to people on this board and they got sick. Nothing is out of the realm of possibly. Why do you not see that as a probable cause? There is not enough info to rule it out IMHO.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I537 using Tapatalk

 

[ozzydamo]

The Indian lady was from my college and i am confirming that she died (Source College Official NewsLetter). Though i have never been for scuba diving but i have dreams of doing so. whats troubling me is what are the probable reasons for her death? was water contaminated with something?, was there some problem with equipments or safety measures followed?

Most probably had simply panicked or gagged, got a lung full of water then drowned- be a sad way to die.


She was doing a PADI. discover scuba diving off Phi Phi in phang ng bay thailand- phi phi has no serious medical facility, so it begs the question why dive there with DSD people as its a long way to a proper hospital/paramedics.

If you do try scuba!
Skindive for a while firstly so you become accustomed to the water and basic use of fins and aqua dynamics- learn duck diving, using a snorkel, get used to the mouth piece as it can make you gag reflex which is possibly what happened to this poor woman.

I think someone thinking seriously about diving should try in a shallow swimming pool first, if you have trouble just stand up fully! Most open water students do their first 2 dives in a confined environment(limit depth, standing your head is out of the water) I did it this way and have never had any issues- so don't be cheap doing a DSD course over the OW course.

I understand the attraction to dive a coral reef as your first ever experience would be enticing to most want to try diving people.

Tragic loss of a life......could of been avoided, sad!