PETCHABURI, Thailand – A fisherman disappeared at sea after jumping overboard to save his wife who fell from their boat, leaving her stranded in rough waters for more than 10 hours before she was rescued. The dramatic incident happened on July 9 when a husband and wife, both fishermen, went out to retrieve crab nets about five nautical miles from the coast of Ban Laem district, Phetchaburi. Police at Ban Laem Police Station were alerted at around 8:37pm after reports that two fishermen had fallen into the sea. Rescue teams from the Sawang Sanphet Thammasathan Foundation and marine volunteers were dispatched to search for the couple.
When rescuers arrived at Khlong Iad Pier in Laem Phak Bia subdistrict, relatives had already taken a fishing boat out to assist. Rescue personnel later used a speedboat to bring the injured woman, identified as 49-year-old Prisana Inpanthang, also known as “Wan”, back to shore before she was taken to Ban Laem Hospital for treatment. Prisana told rescuers that she had fallen from the boat and her husband, 49-year-old Suriya Inpanthang, immediately jumped into the water to help her. He gave her a plastic container to hold onto, allowing her to stay afloat while he attempted to keep her safe.
The couple reportedly remained in the sea for more than 10 hours before help arrived. While Prisana survived, Suriya disappeared and remained missing. Rescue teams launched a search operation using boats and lighting equipment, but strong waves, rough conditions and darkness made the operation extremely difficult. The search was temporarily suspended overnight for safety reasons and was expected to resume when conditions improved.
