Sequence of events The mystery of a 58-year-old man Falling into an irrigation canal, found weak, clinging to a bridge pier in the middle of the canal. The man says he was pushed into the water, while his wife claims he jumped. Officials have noted many suspicious points.
Regarding the case of a 58-year-old man who fell into an irrigation canal in Phlai Chumphon Subdistrict, rescue workers managed to safely bring him out of the water on 30 April 2026. The incident raised many suspicions and is under further investigation. The sequence of events is as follows.
Sergeant Major Niwet Jiamsan, head of prevention and mitigation at Phlai Chumphon Subdistrict Municipality, said that at about 10:45 a.m. on 30 April 2026, the prevention and mitigation team of Phlai Chumphon Subdistrict Municipality in Mueang District, Phitsanulok Province, received a report of a person falling into the irrigation canal near the small bridge in Phlai Chumphon area.
After the alert, the engineering and prevention teams immediately went to the scene. Upon arrival, they found a man weakly clinging to a bridge pier in the middle of the canal. The team quickly used equipment to assist and safely pulled him out of the water amid anxious onlookers.
At that time, the man appeared visibly weak. Officials contacted the emergency medical team from Phlai Chumphon Health Promotion Hospital for first aid before arranging for an ambulance from King Naresuan Maharaj Camp Hospital to transport him urgently for further treatment. No fatalities were reported.
When questioned, a woman identifying herself as the injured man's wife said they left their home in Moo 6, Hua Ro Subdistrict, Mueang District, Phitsanulok Province, to take her husband to King Naresuan Maharaj Camp Hospital. Upon reaching the bridge area, the husband mistakenly thought they had arrived at the hospital, opened the car door, and fell into the irrigation canal beneath the bridge.
Sergeant Major Niwet added that the prevention team of Phlai Chumphon Municipality found several suspicious points and reviewed CCTV footage. It showed that at 10:31 a.m. on the incident day, the white sedan came from the Phitsanulok–Sukhothai road, following the irrigation canal opposite the municipality office.
The car then turned right onto the old bridge behind the municipality office and parked mid-bridge. At 10:34 a.m., CCTV recorded the white sedan's driver opening the driver's door, stepping out, walking around to the passenger side, and then footage showed the man falling into the canal along with a black plastic bag drifting down.
The CCTV also captured the man struggling to swim, eventually grabbing onto the bridge pier in the canal. Meanwhile, the white sedan drove away shortly after, turning left to leave the scene, heading toward the bypass road, circling once more without stopping.
At 10:45 a.m., a vehicle from Phlai Chumphon Municipality drove along the canal and saw the man clinging to the pier. They stopped, called rescue workers, and alerted the municipality's prevention team to bring life jackets and assist the man.
As they prepared to help, the white sedan returned, parking mid-bridge. A woman identifying herself as the man's wife spoke with rescue workers before they transported the man to the hospital for treatment.
Mr. Chanrit Khunjong, a yellow six-wheeler driver who first found the man in the canal, said he was driving while dragging tires when he noticed the man trapped under the bridge. He got out to help and asked the man what he was doing there. The man clearly said someone had left him there, and Mr. Chanrit has witnesses.
At that time, the white sedan was not present. About two minutes after helping the man, the white sedan arrived at the bridge, and a woman in yellow exited, telling Mr. Chanrit the man was her father. Mr. Chanrit focused on assisting the man and called colleagues at the municipality to bring life jackets. The man was safely rescued.
Ms. Napatsorn U-saenkan and Mr. Krit To-im, rescue workers from Phlai Chumphon Municipality who provided first aid, said they were alerted around 11:00 a.m. about a motorcycle accident with someone falling into water. Upon arrival, they found the man injured under the canal bridge. A female team member checked on him first; he was weak but had no wounds.
When asked his name, the man only gave his name and avoided further answers, looking away. When asked who he came with, the nearby woman said to tell officials he was with his wife. The woman also said the man had no chronic illness and was being taken to King Naresuan Maharaj Camp Hospital because he was weak.
It was noted that the man gave brief answers and seemed reluctant to respond. A suspicious point is why the white sedan crossed the old bridge, which is dangerous without guardrails and unused by other cars, when a larger, safer bridge with guardrails is only about 50 meters away. Why did the white sedan not use the safer bridge?
Mr. Chaiyachot Sukpom, a municipality official who saw the white sedan before the incident, said he was disposing of tree branches near the bridge neck and saw a man get out of the white sedan but paid no attention, joking with a colleague that the man was probably playing in the water.
While returning to work, a coworker on a motorcycle shouted that someone had fallen into the water. Looking back, the white sedan was gone. He confirmed the driver was a man in a white shirt and later saw the man’s wife in a yellow shirt at the scene.