A tragic incident occurred when villagers descended to clear an old well in an oil palm plantation in Phang Nga Province and lost consciousness. Those who went down to help also lost consciousness, resulting in four deaths in total.
At 11:30 a.m. on 26 April 2026, Mr. Amorntep Preekham, Acting Head of the Phang Nga Provincial Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Office (DDPM Phang Nga), received a report from a rescue unit in Kuraburi District about a death inside a shallow well located in an oil palm plantation in Village No. 11, Saengtham area, Kuraburi Subdistrict, Kuraburi District, Phang Nga Province. He coordinated with the DDPM Phang Nga emergency response team with specialized rescue equipment to provide urgent assistance.
Initial investigation found the well to be about 6 meters deep. The deceased had entered to clear the well but lost consciousness inside. The cause is believed to be oxygen deprivation due to limited air and insufficient oxygen inside the well. Rescue personnel could not immediately retrieve the bodies because the space was narrow and oxygen levels were low. They therefore called in the DDPM Phang Nga emergency response team with specialized rescue gear for urgent assistance.
Later, authorities successfully retrieved the bodies of all four deceased with cooperation from multiple agencies, including the Ranong Sangkroh Rescue Team, Kusol Sattha Surat Thani Foundation, and Sawang Mekha Takua Pa Rescue.
The deceased were Mr. Suthon, 42; Mr. Sutat, 34; Mr. Theeradorn, 30; and Mr. Wahap, 51, all local villagers. Officials preliminarily concluded that all died from lack of oxygen inside the well.
Further detailed investigation will be conducted to determine the exact cause. Locals recounted that two victims initially entered the old well to clean it but lost consciousness and drowned. Then the third and fourth individuals entered to help but also lost consciousness and drowned.
A fifth person, sensing danger, descended using a rope to assist. When feeling unwell, he signaled by tugging the rope, and those above pulled him up, saving his life. A sixth person, part of the rescue team, also lowered himself by rope to help and, when feeling unwell, tugged the rope to be pulled up and saved in time.
It is suspected that toxic gases, possibly hydrogen sulfide from decades-old decomposing matter, caused the incident. The event deeply shocked local residents. Authorities warned the public to exercise heightened caution when working in confined spaces, as such environments can be life-threatening without proper protective equipment.