In Nonthaburi, three boys tragically drowned after playing in the Chao Phraya River and disappearing underwater. Divers searched for more than 30 minutes before finding the bodies. The incident occurred at the Shrine of the Ancestor Spirit pier near the mouth of Bang Tanao Sri Canal, Soi Phibunsongkhram 15, Suan Yai Subdistrict, Mueang Nonthaburi District.
At 17:30 on 28 September 2026, Lieutenant Pantasa Pattum, deputy investigator of Mueang Nonthaburi Police Station, received a report of three boys who went missing after playing in the Chao Phraya River near the Shrine of the Ancestor Spirit at the mouth of Bang Tanao Sri Canal, Soi Phibunsongkhram 15, Suan Yai Subdistrict, Mueang Nonthaburi. Upon receiving the report, she promptly went to the scene with Police Colonel Chayachai Nathanakan, chief of Mueang Nonthaburi Police Station, and volunteers from the Poh Teck Tung Foundation.
At the Shrine of the Ancestor Spirit pier, residents and relatives of the missing boys were crying in grief. The three boys who went missing were identified as: 1. Polpatr Waivajee (Auto), aged 11; 2. Rungratchanachai Pholfakfaeng (Justin), aged 9.
3. Saridnai Rojarunrung (Nai), aged 15.
While officials were searching for the bodies, the missing boys’ parents lit incense and prayed for help in finding their children.
Divers from the foundation used equipment to search underwater for over 30 minutes before finding the first body. After about an hour, they found the other two, completing the recovery of all three. Upon learning that all three bodies had been found, relatives were overcome with grief and some lost control of their emotions due to the loss of their children.
During the investigation, 15-year-old boy Puen said that seven boys had come to play in the water since 15:00. At first, the water level was not high and the current was weak. However, around 16:00, the current became strong, causing three boys to be swept away and drown. He ran to ask for help from nearby residents, but no one could assist because the boys had already disappeared underwater.
Mr. Ek, a 43-year-old local resident near the scene, said he had seen this group of boys playing at the Shrine of the Ancestor Spirit pier for two to three days. He warned them not to swim because the current was strong. On the day of the incident, before he left for work, he told them to be careful. After returning, a boy from the group told him someone had drowned, but when he checked, he found no one. He then reported the incident to the police and rescue workers.
After recovering all three bodies, officials coordinated with doctors from the Institute of Forensic Science to perform autopsies and sent the bodies for further examination at the institute.