A tragic incident occurred at a secondary school in Kantang District, Trang Province, when a 14-year-old boy was electrocuted and died at a drinking water dispenser during the school’s sports day. Despite witnesses seeing the incident, they were too afraid to intervene. The district director has established a committee to investigate the matter, with a report expected by the end of the day. The school has provided 500,000 baht to assist with funeral expenses.
The tragedy unfolded during a sports event attended by parents, students, teachers, school administrators, medical staff, and rescue personnel. A video shows the student, dressed in a blue shirt and black pants, being electrocuted at the water dispenser. Medical examinations revealed burn marks on the boy’s chest, confirming death by electrocution.
Chainarong Changruea, the Director of Secondary Education for Trang and Krabi Provinces, explained in a phone interview that the incident occurred around noon . Contributing factors included heavy rain and the student being barefoot near the water dispenser. The school’s main breaker was located near the dispenser, causing electricity to ground through the wet floor, which prevented immediate help until the power was turned off.
Unconfirmed claims suggest that a teacher instructed the student to turn off a switch or use the dispenser. The school’s director stated that the dispenser, which was over ten years old, had not been in use, but this is still under investigation. A committee was immediately formed to investigate, and the incident has been reported to the Office of the Basic Education Commission (OBEC) and the Ministry of Education. Initially, the school director provided 20,000 baht to the family, with an additional 100,000 baht from the district education office.
At Wat Kuan Tungku, where the religious ceremonies for the deceased student, Wayu, were held, the atmosphere was filled with sorrow. Community leaders, classmates, and representatives from various agencies came to support the grieving family. Wayu’s parents, Pornchai Thepsuwan and Supaporn Thongyaem, shared that Wayu was their second child. They were informed of the accident by the school and rushed to the hospital, shocked and devastated to learn that he had been electrocuted. The school offered 500,000 baht for funeral arrangements, and the school director, along with teachers, volunteered to host the funeral rites. The cremation ceremony for Wayu is scheduled for Thursday, June 27.
The parents expressed their wish for the school to improve safety measures to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.
