A tragic event occurred when a man cutting bamboo by the roadside for a grilled chicken stall was found dead. It is believed he was electrocuted while trying to pull bamboo that had fallen on power lines, causing electricity to pass through his body to the ground.
On 7 July 2026 at 13:30, a report came in of a body found dead by the roadside near a bamboo grove in Ban Kham Mai, Village No. 14, Ban Kham Subdistrict, Mueang District, Nong Bua Lamphu Province. Officials went to investigate and found the scene was a dirt road outside the village about 2.5 kilometers from the community area.
At the scene, a male body was found, later identified as Mr. Winai, 59, lying with his head tilted toward the road and feet extended toward the bamboo clump. Locals who discovered the body covered it with the man's own traditional cloth while waiting for authorities. A duty doctor from Nong Bua Lamphu Hospital arrived and awaited police for a joint examination.
Initial findings showed the deceased wore foam slippers, both of which had slipped off his feet. Near the body lay one cut bamboo stalk placed parallel to the road, and another fallen stalk resting on power lines. The base of the bamboo was severed from the clump.
Officials asked locals to help lift Mr. Winai's body from the bamboo clump for examination, fearing danger as a bamboo stalk still hung from the power lines near him. Upon uncovering, no wounds were found except for a long burn mark about 20 centimeters on his right thigh with skin peeled off. Both hands were clenched tightly. No signs of struggle were observed. Nearby was a 50-centimeter long machete used to cut bamboo.
Later, Mrs. Paew, Mr. Winai’s wife, arrived crying with a neighbor. She said she had just learned the news as she was working away. That morning, she left home before her husband, who said he was going to work making a grilled chicken stall for a local villager. He used a motorized tricycle (SkyLab) to get there. Someone found his body and called her, so she hurried to the scene.
A neighbor supporting Mrs. Paew told reporters that Mr. Winai had worked for two days building the stall and had gone to cut bamboo in a relative's grove surrounding the garden where he was electrocuted. Officials asked Mrs. Paew and other relatives if they suspected foul play; she said she did not and considered it a tragic accident.
A woman who first found the body told reporters that around 13:00, she and a relative were heading to the market when they saw Mr. Winai lying motionless at the scene. She checked his pulse and found he was dead, so she called emergency services (191) and waited to give a statement. Her relative had to leave for the market earlier. Later, more villagers came upon hearing the news until officials arrived.
Villagers helped tie a traditional cloth to the bamboo stalk and cut it shorter, then pulled it off the power lines using the cloth. They found scorch marks at the bamboo’s end, burnt to charcoal. It is believed Mr. Winai cut fresh bamboo, which fell onto a high-voltage bare wire about 10 meters above ground. Because the bamboo was moist, when he tried to pull it off, the electricity passed through the bamboo, through his body, to the ground, causing his death. Authorities then handed the body over to relatives for funeral rites.
Reporters noted that after the body was taken away, they checked the scene and found Mr. Winai’s motorized tricycle parked about 50 meters from where he died. Near the vehicle were four bamboo stalks he had cut from the clump, prepared to load onto the tricycle but apparently not enough, so he went to cut more bamboo elsewhere, resulting in the accident. This tragic death was due to lack of awareness about the dangers of high-voltage electricity.