A 72-year-old man who fell from a cargo boat on the Chao Phraya River near Ayutthaya on June 26 was found dead four days later, entangled in water hyacinth near a dock in Bang Thai District.
At 8:30 p.m. on June 30, 2569, Deputy Sergeant Major Thaworn Saengjai, investigation officer at Chang Yai Police Station in Ayutthaya Province, received a report of a body floating in the Chao Phraya River near a cargo dock in Ratchakram Subdistrict, Bang Thai District, Ayutthaya. Officers from the investigation unit, forensic team, and Ayutthaya Unity volunteers responded to the scene.
At the location, police found a cargo-laden boat docked with large amounts of water hyacinth floating nearby. The male body was found face-down entangled in the vegetation, with signs of bloating and decomposition. Officials estimated the man had been dead for approximately 4-5 days. Family members identified the deceased as Prasert, 72, from Tha Ruea District, Ayutthaya Province, who had fallen from a cargo boat and gone missing on the night of June 26.
Ms. Krisara, 50, the victim's daughter-in-law, revealed that on the day of the incident, the family was operating four motorboats towing an empty cargo vessel bound for Ang Thong Province. Prasert was responsible for securing the ropes on the cargo boat. He was last seen around 8 p.m. while the boats were passing under a bridge in Po Taeng Subdistrict, Bang Thai District, before disappearing. When the boats arrived at the dock in Pa Mok District, Ang Thong, workers called for him to secure the ropes but he could not be found, prompting a search effort.
Krisara noted that despite Prasert's long experience working on boats, he had vision problems—blind in one eye with poor vision in the other. The incident occurred at night, which may have contributed to him losing his footing and falling overboard. However, no witnesses were present during the incident, so police investigations are underway to determine the exact cause.
Saphakpon Unsungnoen, an official from the Ayutthaya Unity Association, stated that following reports from dock workers of a body caught near the pier, they investigated and found physical characteristics matching the 72-year-old man relatives had requested help finding. When family members arrived for identification, they confirmed the body through clothing and physical features.
Police initially examined the scene and interviewed family members before sending the body for detailed autopsy at the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Pathum Thani Province to determine the cause of death according to legal procedures, before returning it to relatives for religious rites.