Thread: MFA expedites assistance for families of 2 Thai students plunging into canyon in Cali

BANGKOK, 1 August 2017 (NNT) – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) has expedited assistance for the families of two Thai students who were involved in a car accident at canyon in California.

MFA spokesperson Bussadee Santiphithak disclosed that authorities in the United States found the rented car of two Thai students that plunged into a canyon, but they could not reach the site of the crash due to strong river currents and steep cliffs.

The Thai Consulate General in Los Angeles has contacted local authorities who were investigating the accident, and was told that the California Highway Patrol is using all available means to retrieve the vehicle.

Thai Consul General in Los Angelis Thanee Saengrat will meet with the local police on 2 August to coordinate on the search operation to find the missing students.

The MFA spokesperson said that the families of both students were traveling from Thailand to the United States.

The Consular Affairs Department has issued a letter of recommendation for the families to help facilitate their entry to the United States, she said.

http://nwnt.prd.go.th/CenterWeb/News...R6008010010005

Thais driving like thais no news here.

They can drive how they like, Thailand number one

Thai students’ rental car crashed in US park inaccessible for a month: Highway Patrol

IT MAY take authorities a month before they can reach the rental car of two Thai students that plunged into a canyon in Kings Canyon National Park in California, while their families wait for visas to get into the US.

The vehicle was found submerged in the water at the bottom of a 150-metre cliff close to a highway that approaches the park, reported a Thai-language online newspaper in the US yesterday. Postgraduate students Thiwadee Sangsuriyarit, 24, and Bhakapon Chairatanatongporn, 28, of South Florida University, went missing late last month on their way to the park. They were reported missing when they did not return to their hotel.

Thiwadee’s mother said she was hoping for a miracle and praying that her daughter was safe.

Police found 20-metre skid marks on the highway where the car was believed to have plunged over the cliff.

Bhakaphon’s mother said that her son, nicknamed “Golf”, had gone to study engineering at the university about 18 months ago. He was due to graduate in December and the family was planning to attend the graduation ceremony in the US.

She said she usually warned her son not to drive in the US as he was not used to the roads. However, she thought her son was the driver as she had been told that he had an international driving licence. Now she said she was too sad to even look at his photos.

Both families were waiting for the visas to go to the US. The car was found in a helicopter search at the national park.However, the rough terrain, steep cliffs and fast-flowing river made the scene extremely difficult to access.

Siam Media online reported that California Highway Patrol had told Thai Consul General Tanee Sangrat that there was no space in the area for a helicopter to land safely. The only way to access the accident site was by boat, the online newspaper said, but because of the melting snow and strong current it would be too dangerous.

“The rescue team may have to spend about a month to reach it, depending on the situation. They could not give an exact timetable,” reported the online newspaper.

Thiwadee’s family told a television station that she was majoring in environmental studies at the university and she loved nature and adventure travel.

They lost contact with Thiwadee on July 26 and were shocked when they learned of her disappearance from her friends.

Thai students? rental car crashed in US park inaccessible for a month: Highway Patrol

New plan to retrieve Thai students’ car submerged in river near US park



A US rescue team may be able to retrieve the rental car belonging to two Thai students earlier than expected as water levels in a river have fallen. The car plunged over a cliff and was partly submerged in the river in California in late June.

The Thai Consulate General in Los Angeles was informed on Wednesday of the latest update, which contradicted an earlier report that efforts to reach the car could take a month due to the strong river current and geographical conditions. There is an extra urgency to retrieve the car amid fears that it could be swept away by the current.

more New plan to retrieve Thai students? car submerged in river near US park

Video clip at car crash tragedy in US shows a body inside submerged car in river

A Thai news website in Los Angeles, Siam Town US, yesterday released a video clip taken by its news team showing the smashed up rental car submerged in the river at the foot of the cliff.

In the red car, one body can barely be seen near the bottom left of the clip shot from the top of the 150-metre cliff from where it apparently plunged.

According to Siam Town US, body parts that could belong to one of the two Thais were spotted in the car.

The footage was recorded when its news team filmed a video clip at the scene last Friday (Aug 4).

“We believe that at least one of them is inside the car,” Siam Town US posted on its Facebook page.

The vehicle plunged off cliff at Kings Canyon National Park in California.

Students Ms Thiwadee Sangsuriyarit, 24, and Mr Bhakapon Chairatantongporn, 28, were attending the South Florida University and went missing last month on their way to the National Park.

The two students were reported missing after not returning to their hotel last month.

Their vehicle was found last Wednesday (Aug 2) submerged in the river at the foot of a 150-metre-high cliff by California State Route 180.

Thai consulate general Tanee Sangrat in Los Angeles along with relatives of the two students and representative of South Florida University were at the Reedley police station to hear briefing on how to retrieve the bodies and car.

The Thai Consul has also invited Buddhist monks to perform Buddhism rite at the scene for the two.

The salvage team was expected to begin retrieving the bodies and car on Wednesday (Aug 9).



Video clip at car crash tragedy in US shows a body inside submerged car in river - Thai PBS English News

Hope they will find in the car some clues... Maybe the GPS app the driver was using told him to do so, or a Pokemon Go game went wrong, or he was trying to park or make a U turn without someone guiding him from outside...

^Maybe lack of a uniformed serf with a whistle.?

^ Yes I was thinking of a whistle man, they seem not to be able to perform basic maneuver without one around

Obviously the brakes failed.

US visas sought for Thai rescue workers to retrieve bodies of two Thai students

A close relative of the two Thai students, who died when their car plunged into a steep ravine in a national park in California, planned to bring Thai rescue workers to the US to help retrieve the bodies of the two victims.

Ekkachai Thaidecha, uncle of Mr Pakapol Chairattanasongporn, one of the two dead victims, said Thursday (Aug 10) that he told US embassy officials that since US officials were unable to retrieve the damaged car and the two bodies inside the vehicle, he offered to do the job by bringing with him two Thai rescue workers to the US at his own expenses.

He said he was told by embassy officials that if there is no permission from the US officials concerned, the two Thai rescue workers that he intended to take with him to the US could not do anything.

However Mr Ekkachai said he asked the embassy officials to inquire the officials concerned in California whether they would agree to allow the Thai rescue workers to retrieve the two victims from the ravine and to give him the answer quickly.

The two students at South Florida University, Mr Pakapol and Ms Thivadee Saengsuriyarith, died when their rented car ploughed through a railing and plunged into the ravine at King Canyon national park on July 26.

So far, both the car and the two bodies have not been plucked out of the ravine.

US visas sought for Thai rescue workers to retrieve bodies of two Thai students - Thai PBS English News

Imagine the Thais revelling in their glee if rescue workers are shown doing a job the Americans 'can't'...It would be national news of course, cementing Thailand's status as ''number one''

Sounds like a ludicrous request

And one wonders just how the Thai would demonstrate the superior skills of the proposed rescue workers from Thailand? Sometimes, one simply overlooks their childishness and forgets just how pivotal it is to their thinking.

Would they bring an old pickup with 'em to throw the bodies into?

Thai students’ accident in US not linked to other incident nearby : US authorities

Local authorities in California say there is no connection between an accident where two Thai students remain trapped in their car in Kings River and a separate incident nearby involving another couple from San Diego.

The Thai Consulate General Office in Los Angeles said on Facebook that it received confirmation from Fresno Sheriff’s Office that the accident involving Thiwadee Sangsuriyarit, 24, and Bhakapon Chairatanatongporn, 28, took place on July 26.

The other accident, which happened near the location where the Thai students are believed to have plunged into a 150-metre deep gorge, involved a couple with Asian ancestry from San Diego. They were last seen on August 6.

Some have linked the two incidents together, suggesting that the Thai students’ rental car crashed with the other couple’s vehicle, resulting in both vehicles plunging over the cliff.

The second incident was spotted by the Fresno sheriff’s office who noticed the San Diego couple’s licence plate on a video while investigating the Thai students’ accident.

According to the Thai consulate, the second accident happened 36-37 feet away from the location where the Thai students went over the cliff.

“The river current swept the (couple’s) car along past the Thai student’s car that got stuck on rocks in the middle of the Kings’ river,” the consulate said. The second car then sank into a deep pool of the river, said the Consulate’s FB page.

Thai students? accident in US not linked to other incident nearby : US authorities

US recovers remains of two Thai students from car

September 02, 2017 07:15

US rescuers has retrieved remains of two Thai postgraduate students at the South Florida University from their car that plunged into a river in the US more than a month ago.

The retrieval operation sent rescuers go down from a helicopter to the Kings River where the car is stuck and pulled the car to a river bank.

Remains of Thiwadee Saengsuriyarit, 24, and Bhakapon Chairattanasongporn, 28, will be sent for autopsy and identity confirmation. Families of both victims were present at the site. A monk was brought to the scene to perform religious rite for the victims.

The family of Thiwadee intends to bring the ashes back to Thailand while Bhakapon’s family plans to scatter the ashes in California.

Efforts to retrieve their bodies from the car that got stuck in the river since July 26 have been delayed because of the high water level and strong currents in the river as well as the bad weather, which could have threatened the safety of the rescue teams.

The Fresno County Sheriff's Office decided to retrieve the remains on Friday morning local time as the flow of the river and water level have reached levels that will not make it unsafe for the rescuers.

I think they would of really just recovered their skeleton.

I pulled a Guy out of the water after three days under and he was not that flash.