Sakon Nakhon - Man gets head blown off at Rocket Festival

**dirtydog** · 18-05-2009, 08:30 PM

Tragic trajectory: man’s head blown off by festival rocket

SAKON NAKHON: A man had his head blown off while watching an annual homemade rocket festival in this northeastern town on May 11.

The victim and his friends chose to have a drinking session in a cordoned off area where rockets were landing at the time of the incident.

Police were called to the scene in Village 3, Tambon Dong Mafai, Muang District, at 3:30 pm.

After pushing through a large crowd of villagers, they found the headless body of 29-year-old Prida Wongnatal lying next to a pond. The stump of his neck was blackened with powder burns.

Near the body, police found the rocket that had decapitated Mr Prida, who was a native of Tao Ngoi District.

The projectile was about three-meters long, its head made of PVC piping three to four inches in diameter.

Rescue volunteers who dived into the pond to recover Mr Prida’s head were only able to find small fragments.

Sakda Duangsupha, who witnessed the tragedy, said the rocket that killed Mr Prida was the third one launched at the festival. The first two had shot up into the air, but the third took a horizontal trajectory towards Mr Prida and six or seven friends who were sitting drinking about 50 meters away from the launch pad, located by the edge of the pond.

As they saw the rocket screaming towards them, the youths dived out of the way, but Mr Prida was not quick enough. After the impact, he fell back into the pond.

Pulling him out, his friends were shocked to discover that he had no head, Mr Sakda said.

The area where Mr Prida and his friends were drinking had been roped off because of the danger of rockets passing through. With a sense of invincibility typical of youth, the group ignored the warnings, Mr Sakda explained.

Police are now investigating to determine whether Mr Prida’s demise was a case of death by his own negligence or whether the festival’s organizers were responsible.

Rocket festivals are held annually in towns across the Northeast to mark the start of the rainy season. This is not the first, and no doubt not the last, tragedy at such festivals. In 1999, five people were killed at the Yasothon festival, the biggest and most famous of them all, when a 120kg rocket exploded immediately after takeoff.

Phuket Gazette

**BKKBoet** · 18-05-2009, 11:18 PM

A possible candidate for the Darwin awards 2009?

**Gerbil** · 19-05-2009, 12:48 AM

Stupid twats. I've got no sympathy.

Bloody things should have been banned years ago.

**mrsquirrel** · 19-05-2009, 02:01 AM

I was floating down the Maekhong in Laos one year. COmpletely twatted when watching some people launching rockets from a platform. One of the rockets changed it's vertical trajectory to a horizontal one and flew past me a couple of meters away.

**Moonraker** · 19-05-2009, 02:07 AM

Originally Posted by mrsquirrel

I was floating down the Maekhong in Laos one year. COmpletely twatted when watching some people launching rockets from a platform. One of the rockets changed it's vertical trajectory to a horizontal one and flew past me a couple of meters away.

So did it take your head off or what?

**BrucefarmerFANG** · 19-05-2009, 02:29 AM

Of course it did .

**nedwalk** · 19-05-2009, 04:07 AM

Originally Posted by dirtydog

Mr Prida and six or seven friends who were sitting drinking about 50 meters

suppose all they wanted to do was get off their 'face' drunk, well one of did

**mrsquirrel** · 19-05-2009, 04:23 AM

Originally Posted by Moonraker

So did it take your head off or what?

My head was already pretty much hanging in the water. That particular day when I was still young single and foolish resulted in a bizarre chain of events.

After eventually drifting back the the bungalo area I tried to get out of the ring thing and realised that I was a bit more nailed than I had first thought. I couldn't see properly and getting my legs to move was proving difficult. I had to walk back holding onto to trees and walls and pretty much anything else I could find to support me.

I went up to my room in the guesthouse and left my sandals at the top of the stairs as one was meant to.

I got up a few hours later and went to put my sandals on, but there was something wrong. They looked like my sandals. They fitted like my sandals. THey were the same brand, same colour, same everything. BUT they weren't my sandals. They just didn't feel right.

I went out in the evening for dinner and to try and either get more nailed or at least stay awake. But all I could think about was these sandals that weren't mine but looked just like mine. I kept telling the people that I had gone out to dinner with about it.

I eventually had to call it a night due to my head being battered from the sandal incident.

On retiring to my bed I took my sandals in with me just in case somebody stole them again. Next morning I got up and went out. There at the top of the stairs were my sandals. MY sandals. Not the counterfeit ones that I was wearing on my feet.

Swapped them over and went on my way.

Later in the day drifting down the river again I saw the owner of the sandals float by. I told him what he had done and he too had realised that they weren't his sandals after he had got to the restaurant and they didn't feel right.

**tex** · 19-05-2009, 11:00 AM

It's Not Rocket Science !

**Mr R Sole** · 19-05-2009, 12:44 PM

I was hoping there was video of this numbskull....sorry past tense needed!!!!

Eh that beer went straight to my head!

**kmart** · 19-05-2009, 01:30 PM

Keep fireworks in a sealed box or tin
Use them one at a time, replacing the lid immediately
NEVER put fireworks in your pocket
Read the instructions carefully, using a torch or hand lamp NEVER use a naked flame
Light fireworks at arms length using a taper or a firework lighter
Stand well back and NEVER return to a firework after it has been lit, it could explode in your face
Ensure that all chidren with fireworks are well supervised
NEVER throw fireworks
Keep all pets and animals indoors
Take care of sparklers, wear gloves to hold them and dispose of sparklers in a bucket of water as soon as they are finished

**phuketbound** · 19-05-2009, 01:41 PM

^Easy to say, but I've been at Patong beach at New Years, and they are throwing fireworks all over the street. If you are around, you can easily get burned.

Safety #1 in Thailand.

LOS: Land of Safety.

Feel bad for the man who lost his head though.

**Happyman** · 19-05-2009, 02:26 PM

The 'Veggie" Festival in Phuket is like a war zone during the processions !

**blackgang** · 19-05-2009, 04:08 PM

Sum bitch will eat no more dogs either..

**Mid** · 19-05-2009, 04:50 PM

Originally Posted by BKKBoet

A possible candidate for the Darwin awards 2009?

seconded

**Chairman Mao** · 19-05-2009, 06:09 PM

Pulling him out, his friends were shocked to discover that he had no head.

Could imagine that being a bit shocking alright.

Stupid twats. I've got no sympathy.

Next thing they'll be throwing buckets of water at moving motorbikes.

Definitely not the smartest of people.

**panama hat** · 19-05-2009, 07:49 PM

Originally Posted by dirtydog

A man had his head blown off

Does this qualify him to run for public office now?

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